


What Lips These Lips Have Kissed

by obscuredbyshadows



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, BDSM, Domestic Violence, Dubious Consent, Gaslighting, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2019-10-13 03:05:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17480015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obscuredbyshadows/pseuds/obscuredbyshadows
Summary: Tony knows he has a reputation - it's carefully cultivated, after all.  Howard wanted his genius son to run his company, but as a submissive, there were some conditions.  Tony is always to present as a Dominant to the public and, privately, is to be handled by a Dominant.  It's for his health, and the company's well-being.The BDSM AU in which Tony has spent the last 20 years in a clandestine marriage to Oliver Glass, a man who ensures Tony is perceived as a Dominant for the continued success of Stark Industries but requires absolute submission behind closed doors.  As the Avengers become a larger part of Tony's life, layers begin to be stripped away.Even as more is revealed, one thing remains certain - Tony *does* require careful handling.*Please see chapter warnings at the end of each chapter if you are concerned about triggering.





	1. The Rain is Full of Ghosts

After Loki, after aliens littering the skies and streets of New York, after Tony flew a missile into space and they all congregated to half-heartedly poke at shawarma, Clint finds himself in a nondescript room sporting a cot and a toilet and one door.He expected to be taken into custody after what he pulled … after what Loki had made him pull.What he didn’t expect was to be taken in under the blanket authority of the Submissive Guidance Committee, “for his own good”. 

 

Dominants and submissives nominally shared equal rights with Baseline humans in the 21st century, but shades of paternalism still threaded through the culture and laws. 

 

Baselines were about 55% of the population with about equal numbers of male and females.Dynamics shook out a little different.Of the remaining population, dominants were the larger, accounting for about 30% of the overall planet’s population.Dominant primary gender skewed male as well, about 72%; making male dominants the third largest population on Earth. Female submissives were the next largest, comprising about 95% of the submissive population and about 14% of overall population. 

 

Dominant females and submissive males were the outliers; biological irregularities, many argued.Or the next stage in the evolutionary process, others might have snarked back.Dominant females were about 9% of the overall population which might take one aback until they consider how rare male submissives are.As they represent only 5% of the submissive population, there’s only a cool 52.5 million of them among the 7 billion people walking around, 0.75% of the world population. 

 

And in New York City..well with a population of 8.6 million, it wasn’t unheard of to come across one of the 65 thousand male submissives who called the place home, but it wasn’t _common_.Of course that meant that anytime a male sub managed to crawl out of the woodwork, even attract public recognition, it added an extra edge to any situation.People were just so curious what made a male sub tick, being so rare.

 

It also meant there wasn’t a lot of precedent for male subs that could be deemed destructive or dangerous, leaving Clint in a rather unique situation.SHIELD was well, shielding him from criminal repercussions from Loki’s control, but the Submissive Guidance Committee had relegated him to protective custody to ensure his well-being as a sub with no living dominant on file. 

 

They had the authority to evaluate his psychological responses and test his blood to check his dynamic balances.If they didn’t like what they saw, he was almost guaranteed a permanent handler overseen by the state to officially dominate him under the guise of keeping him healthy. Fury was furious, as it was a rather obvious ploy to get someone as competent as Clint under competing agencies’ control.Clint was furious because he was not some delicate flower and was more than capable of monitoring and keeping his own health! 

 

Clint had been pacing his cell for the last hour or so, still too riled from the recent battle, his body was thrumming still with energy while exhaustion was only the faintest pull at his eyebrows.He was always like this after a mission, still too consumed with the fight to keep still.He usually had things to do, post-mission, and he should be out, right now, making his reports and helping to clean up the devastated city.It was ratcheting up his irritation and nerves, being forced into this bare room.

 

And the truth of it was, if Clint was a dominant, he would be out right now.No one would dare intrude on a dominant or a Baseline after the heat of battle, insisting he be locked away “for his own good”.And in fact, Clint thinks, darkly, they had proven it; neither Banner nor Thor, both dominants, had been asked to step into seclusion even though the first had turned into a giant green rage monster, albeit a helpful one, and the second had just had to fight and imprison his own brother for the sake of the entire planet. 

 

But ruminating on the state of injustice wasn’t doing much to calm his anxiety and so he’d just been pacing.Eight steps across the barren room, eight steps back.Again.On a loop. 

 

Truth was, his nerves were frayed to the very edges.He’d been taken outside his own mind, left adrift to watch as though through a fog the movements of his own body.Then he’d had to awaken, suddenly, to discover that Phil, his handler of so many years and a dear friend, was dead.And then the defense of New York.He really could use a Dom right now, no lie.Someone who’d be firm with him, who’d demand his focus entirely so that the chaos in his mind could quiet. 

 

And if he’d been left to his own devices that’s exactly what he would have done. Used a reputable Dominant therapist company, specifically marketed toward single submissives who didn’t have a dominant that consistently scened with them.It was safe and respectful and Clint had used them before.He understood his body and his body’s instincts and if it demanded he engage a dominant to balance him, he respected that.He’d never let his Dynamic Balance shift out of control. 

 

And he wouldn’t have this time either! Clint’s never let his Dynamic influence his work and that is NOT the reason he fell to Loki’s scepter.All of the others impacted had been Baselines and Dominants. There was no reason to single him out. 

 

It was about an hour and a half before he suddenly heard the door turn.It had been early hours when the battle for New York had finished, and he’d been with the Avengers for an hour or so after.They had come for him at 7 and it was nearing 9:30 in the morning now, so clearly this guy was just getting into work, barely with time to reel from the life shattering experience of aliens invading America’s largest urban center, only to be instructed to go deal with the wayward Avenger they had in their holding cell. 

 

All around, Clint knew it was going to be a rough day, so he was really prepared to be super nice to this poor guy.He was impressed that they’d even been able to find someone to work and show up so quickly.He opened his mouth to crack a joke, ease the tension, but the man that came in, a brunette of middling height with an irritated gaze and a protruding jaw looked at him and immediately ordered, “Silence, unless you’re requested to speak.” 

 

Clint sputtered, more than appalled at the command.“Excuse me?” 

 

“Submissive,” the man said, ignoring his indignation, “you’re in the protective care of the Submissive Guidance Center.While here, I will be your designated dominant therapist - “ 

 

The man’s speech was interrupted by the sudden distant raised voice of one, Tony Stark, steadily getting closer, “—Look, I’m sorry you guys are having to deal with this, what with everything going on outside.But you’ll see in here that the paperwork is all in order and that Hawkeye is to be released on his own recognizance.Now.” 

 

Clint couldn’t help the soft sigh of relief that whooshed out of him at Stark’s appearance, surprising thought it was.How had the man had the knowledge of his situation or the time to help him in the few short hours and with everything going on? 

 

“Hey Legolas,” Stark said, locking eyes on him from where he had appeared at the door, subtly pushing the man standing there out of the way.“Let’s say we get the heck out of Mordor?” 

 

“Pretty sure Legolas really wanted to get to Mordor,” Clint responded after a blank second passed between them, heavy with Clint’s surprise. 

 

“What, you want to stay?” Tony snorted, looking down at the phone he had in his hands, fingers flying distractedly across the screen.“Give me a break.Let’s go.” 

 

And so Tony saved him from whatever was supposed to come next, in a system that has a reputation of abuse, particularly with male subs and Clint is grateful.And his life has changed, after New York.Nat and he are joining the Avengers permanently, they’ve moved into the newly branded Avengers Tower that Stark generously provides, designating them each rooms and a common area and generally disappearing from said common area for long periods of time stretching from days to weeks before suddenly appearing again, mysteriously, loud with his presence, funny but sharp, a veneer of geniality covering a wicked edge. 

 

After a time of getting to know him, Clint thought of Stark that he was the kind of man who had experienced the failure of trust.A man who was loyal but expected no loyalty in return.A generous man, but stingy with himself.He held back. 

 

And the man was a Dom.Through and through.Obviously. 

 

***

 

When Tony had first met Clint it had been hard to stifle his initial reaction, his immediate flaring of disbelief. _Here? In the Avengers?How was it possible? Another male sub, in a place like this?_

 

It was pheromones, between Dynamics.It was immediately possible to determine another Dynamic’s dominant or submissive nature.There were Dynamic individuals with diseases that adequately failed to pick up on others pheromones but there were no known cases of Dynamic individuals not generating _their own_ pheromones. 

 

Howard had found a way around that.Tony knew Clint perceived him as a Dominant. Everyone did.And he evinced so many of the stereotypically dominant traits in public that it was an easy guise to maintain…now, at least.It had been Howard’s will, that Tony be publicly Dominant. 

 

But Howard knew all too well that his son was a submissive.He also knew, that by the age of 4, the boy had built his first circuit breaker.The child was a prodigy, fruit of his own genius seed and he would be the face of Stark Industries when Howard was gone. 

 

Just as long as Howard found the right person to control him. 

 

This was an open discussion point when Howard reviewed his decision with his son.Tony was a submissive, he could not be expected to make his own decision for his partner when the stakes were so high.He would marry a man of Howard’s choosing, a man by the name of Oliver Glass.As Tony’s dominant, Glass would control Tony’s personal assets and a large chunk of Stark Industries, and of course Tony himself.But, Howard made this clear, Tony would be the head of Stark Industries, and the final decision maker.Tony bore his name.Glass got control of Tony and a portion of the company in a hush-hush agreement with Howard to keep his son’s true Dynamic a secret so Tony could carry the Stark name and business into the future without blemish. 

 

When Howard died near his 20th birthday, just as Tony was graduating from MIT, that agreement went into effect. 

 

And Ollie had kept that agreement to the letter.He jealously guarded Tony’s submissive nature, demanding complete obedience in private, relishing his complete control over the man sold to him, but punishing him for any even vaguely submissive action or word made in public.Oliver watched Tony’s every public appearance, he reviewed every speech for every corporate event or charity ball.He sat next to Tony at board meetings.He attended business dinners.He’d critique Tony’s every move and word, analyzing them for possible submissive undertones.Then, when they got home, in separate cars, of course, Oliver would tell him to undress and kneel in the corner, making him wait before the inevitable punishment for whatever public slip up Glass thought he had made. 

 

It was jarring to Tony, the dichotomy.He was a smart kid but a bit of a smart-ass and he was getting whiplash between being asked to act the consummate dominant and then being caned until he was raw from it for casting his eyes down when meeting that CEO yesterday.“What if she suspected?” Ollie sneered.“You have to remember that you belong only to me.Your submission is only mine to see.When you allow your nature to reveal itself to others, you are being. A. Bad. Boy.” 

 

And Tony had cried at his words and at the heavy rush of hormones flooding his system, telling him he had disappointed his dominant, that he wasn’t good enough, that he should do anything to make it up to him.So Tony adapted.He learned.He could be a sub for just one person and one person only.That was…romantic? Wasn’t it? That nobody else would know? 

 

He became dominant in public without fault so that Ollie even eventually stopped monitoring him so much.It took a few years, but Ollie was patient with him.He corrected his every mis-step quickly and decisively.Tony never made quite the same mistake twice. 

 

They were a secret.To the public, to the board, they were acquaintances, business partners, not much else.To the law and to a very small inner group they were married and intricately entangled legally. Howard had explained, patiently when Tony had been confused as to why this was needed.“You need a dominant, Tony but there’s no confusing a Dominant being with another Dominant.If the public know you’re together, you’ll either face repugnance for being ‘unnatural’ or their suspicion will fester until your secret is revealed.Better to keep it a secret.” 

 

When Tony was feeling generous, he acknowledged that Howard had looked out for his health, at least.It was no pretty picture, a dominant or submissive who became Un-Balanced.The hormones that flooded Dynamic bloodstreams as the result of Scening kept both parties healthy.When one went for too long without Scening, usually the first sign something was wrong was depression, a fogging of the mind, before physical ailments started, the afflictions rising gradually until the Dynamic individual Dropped, a worse Drop then one brought on suddenly by trauma, a Drop that had the potential to maim or kill. 

 

And Oliver had kept up his end of the bargain on that front, too.Tony’s Balance was perfect, he subbed for Oliver dedicatedly, and Ollie was demanding with his expectations. 

 

It worked for them, for the most part.Ollie was pleased with his status at Stark Industries and Tony liked to think he satisfied him privately, even if the man could be a little…unintentionally cruel when he was correcting him.Tony was the undisputed head of the company and had plenty of bandwidth for his true love, his bots and other creations.Ollie tolerated this; after all, Tony’s genius was his money-maker. 

 

After Afghanistan…that was tricky.It was a true test of Tony’s control vs Oliver’s at the company.Ollie didn’t understand why Tony would give up weapons.He berated the engineer, laying into him with hands and words, insisting he revoke his public declaration.Tony wouldn’t.He eventually swayed Oliver.Told him about the Stark phones and other technology, and more importantly, his plans for clean energy vis-a-vis the arc reactor which Tony knew would keep the company in the black. 

 

Ollie was only swayed reluctantly, and he made sure Tony would never make such a decision like that without his agreement again. 

 

The Avengers were new ground that they were still negotiating.Ollie refused to live in the Tower.He didn’t…get along with Jarvis and Tony needed Jarvis in the Tower.The Avengers were Earth’s greatest defenders, after all, and Tony had to employ all of his technology to keep ahead of any potential threats.Jarvis needed to be there as a first line of defense. And Tony needed to have at least a nominal presence in the Tower, bonding with his team mates, training and working.He tried not to give too much thought to why he always felt so much more comfortable there, among virtual strangers, than at home with Ollie. 

 

They kept separate, sumptuous lodgings elsewhere.A penthouse in a luxury building in the heart of Manhattan, near the Tower.Ollie was comfortable there, where Tony’s genius couldn’t infringe on his day-to-day existence.When the Avengers had moved in, and Tony had had to split his time, Ollie had agreed to some level of separation, every few weeks for discrete periods of time.They were both busy men, after all, and as much as Ollie relished their time together, they had more than enough to occupy themselves when the other was away. 

 

Ollie was strange about the Avengers, Tony had always thought so.After it became clear that Tony would be Iron Man, in the same way it became clear that Tony wouldn’t produce weapons for the company anymore, Ollie had just, accepted it.In the darkest part of him, the part he wouldn’t admit to having, Tony thought it was just another example of Ollie’s narcissism.Truth was, Tony up there, defending the Earth?Ollie was safer. 

 

Ollie had never denied Tony’s genius, after all. 

 

But with the Avengers moving into the Tower; with the initiative so suddenly real and alive, Tony knew they would have to make some adjustments. 

 

Steve had come first.A backpack slung over one shoulder, his eyes averted when he entered the lobby, where Tony was waiting, a strange quirk for a Dominant.He raised them when he reached out to shake Tony’s head, “Much obliged, Stark.I got orders we’ll be working together from now on.” 

 

“Tony,” was Tony’s automatic response.“Call me Tony.And at ease, soldier.This is your home, now.” 

 

It was.Tony had established living quarters for all of the team, which they were budgeted to modify to suit their needs.To encourage team bonding, he’d developed common quarters as well.He, himself, tried to make an appearance at least a few times a month, sometimes several days in a row when he could get away from Ollie. 

 

Since its inception, the Tower had been his sanctuary.Jarvis roamed free there, his creation of which he lived so in awe.Jarvis was more than a machine.He was more than lines of code.Tony knew, it was instinctive.He’d know from the moment this iteration of Jarvis had fully come online.An artificial intelligence that was more substantive and developed than what he’d created in You or Dum-E. An intelligence that was as real as his own, artificial though they may call it.He had always treated Jarvis as a person.And Jarvis had developed over time, his ability to learn creating a machine that was perpetually evolving; was every day growing and adapting to his environment.Just like a person. 

 

Just like a person, he had disagreements with Tony.In spite of Tony’s instructions, Jarvis struggled to understand why Tony tolerated Ollie’s treatment of him.Jarvis made observations of other submissives and compared them to Tony.It aggravated Tony, that Jarvis struggled to understand why Tony was different.Why he wasn’t allowed to have what other subs had.It was a point of tension between them. 

 

Jarvis had limited interaction with Oliver now, at least.He wasn’t a presence in their separate penthouse, much to Jarvis’ chagrin, and Oliver was almost never at at the Tower.Of course, Tony could access Jarvis through his phone and his suit wherever he was, and his lab at the penthouse had a link to Jarvis in order for him to continue his work, but Oliver never went in there. 

 

The one thing he had managed to do was limit Jarvis’ ability to reveal his and Oliver’s relationship to others.He hated to put limitations on Jarvis, but this was a matter of survival for him.He couldn’t give up the company, couldn’t give up his life’s work.And besides, he loved Olllie; even if their relationship wasn’t particularly traditional for a dominant and submissive. 

 

Tony was in the shower at the penthouse right now.He’d been spending his down time there the last few days, as Oliver had previously been on a business trip and had called Tony a few days ago to let him know he expected his presence at the penthouse when he returned.He was planning on returning to the Tower tonight. 

 

He was…tired.Looking forward to going back to the Tower, to work in the lab he was so much more comfortable in, and even hang out with the team a bit later in the day.He sighed when the door to the bathroom turned, Oliver stepping in without knocking.He suppressed a flinch as the man undressed, his eyes roving over Tony’s wet form. 

 

Oliver wasn’t a bad looking man, but he was intense.He was tall, about 6’2, with dark hair and olive skin, his eyes a piercing blue.He kept himself in shape; they had access to enough money that he could have as many personal trainers and nutritional specialists that he wanted, and the man prided himself on his appearance.He was muscular, and Tony knew, more than capable of keeping Tony in check physically.Not that Tony would ever fight him.Not after twenty years together.Oliver had been 30 to his 20 and was now coming up against 50, but he still looked 40.He had a keen intellect too, and wasn’t afraid to make his own cutting remarks. 

 

Tony shuffled forward as the man entered the open format shower behind him.“Brace,” Oliver breathed, his voice gruff and Tony obeyed automatically, lowering his face from the spray of the shower head and bracing his hands against the wall.Oliver chuckled and reached around to tweak his right nipple roughly.Tony let out the smallest gasp at the action and then Oliver was using his left hand to penetrate Tony from behind, his right hand coming back to spread him apart. 

 

Oliver teased him for a moment, lazily slipping a second finger into him before deciding that was sufficient and plunging his long dick into Tony’s hole.Tony tensed for a second, sucking in a breath, but Oliver had used him last night and he wasn’t too tight; gradually he relaxed, his mind grabbing onto his most recent project as the man picked up to a more punishing pace. 

 

As usual, after a few moments Oliver seemed to sense that Tony wasn’t quite with him, and the man’s right hand came up to clasp around Tony’s throat, pulling his head back, before using his large thumb to rub rough circle against the back of Tony’s neck. 

 

The edges of Tony’s vision blurred.“Ollie,” Tony gasped.“Please, I have a busy day.” 

 

“Tony, your number one priority is always to please me,” Oliver cut in, his voice dangerous.Tony swallowed nervously against the hand clasping his throat.“Or have you forgotten that?” 

 

“No, Sir,” Tony mumbled, eyes tearing up as the man’s motions against the back of his neck brought his submissive nature more to the fore.It was a spot on every sub, the back of the neck, an aid for a dominant to bring their sub to subspace and better balance them.It was usually decorum for the sub to offer first, but Ollie and Tony were long time partners and anyway, it was Ollie’s due. 

 

Mercifully, Oliver released after only dragging Tony to the very edge of subspace.Tony sighed in relief, it would take hours to get him back up and functional if Oliver spaced him since Oliver was bound to proceed with his own busy schedule and leave Tony to deal with the issue alone.Tony wanted to get back to the Tower and get some work done; he didn’t want to be stuck in the penthouse for most of the morning. 

 

“Thank you Sir,” Tony said truly grateful.The man behind him only grunted, finishing up inside of Tony finally and pulling out abruptly.Tony himself was still soft, body long-trained to only respond to Oliver’s direction. 

 

“You had best remember that gratitude, Tony.I’ll see you on Saturday.” 

 

Oliver left and Tony proceeded with his shower, slowly breathing out his relief.

 

Tony was still a little shaky after the encounter with Oliver in the shower.He blamed it on the water; ever since Afghanistan, shower sex hadn’t really appealed to Tony.The feeling of the water hitting his head as Ollie used his body reminded him too much of his time with the Ten Rings.He had flashbacks sometimes.It had happened once, when Ollie was fucking him in the shower, Tony had involuntarily panicked, slipping out of the present and into the past.He had fought to pull away from Ollie, tried to escape but the man had found his panic only a mild annoyance, taking only a second to push down on his sub spots and force Tony’s body into a lazy compliance, while the genius’ mind still roiled in panic.After, Ollie had pulled him out of the shower and roughly spanked him, berating Tony for ever daring to pull away from him.After Oliver had left, Tony had spent the rest of the day in bed. 

 

Luckily no panic attack seemed to threaten today, just a feeling of unease and Tony had been able to make it over to the Tower, immediately ensconcing himself in his lab and working on his latest project. He’d gotten some pretty productive time in already but in the last 5 minutes he’d wrongly wired the same thing three different times. 

 

“Sir,” Jarvis said, “such distraction is unlike you.Are you well?” 

 

Tony sighed in frustration, setting down the small robot he held.“Yea J, think I just need a break. Are the rest of the Avengers in the Tower?” 

 

“Captain Rogers and Agent Romanov are currently in Washington D.C. on S.H.I.E.L.D. business.My readings do not currently indicate that Thor is on the planet.Dr. Banner is in his lab and Agent Barton is in the common area.” 

 

“Alright,” Tony said up, standing up to stretch and making a decision. If Bruce was anything like him, the man wouldn’t want to be interrupted without invitation in his lab, and anyway, it wasn’t the greatest idea for a shaky sub to seek out a powerful Dominant and not expect them to catch on. So common area it was.He would see what the archer was up to. 

 

Seems like Barton was taking advantage of the mandatory post-Loki downtime from S.H.I.E.L.D.The sub was lounging in the common area, snacking on popcorn and watching Jurassic Park. 

 

“Really Barton?” Tony said, halting at the entranceway and eyeing the TV skeptically.“Don’t you have enough dangerous monsters in the present?” 

 

“This is a classic!” the man returned affably, pausing the program to give Tony a once-over.The engineer sauntered over, dipping a hand into the popcorn bowl before preceding to settle in the armchair next to Clint. 

 

“Still bench warming, Barton?” Tony asked. 

 

“Only another week,” Barton said.“Had to pass all the psych evals and take a 60 day mandatory leave, barring any potentially world-ending events, but should be back in it next week.Thank God.Don’t know that I’ve ever been so bored.There’s only so much time at the range and mindless TV that a man can handle.” 

 

“Yea, living in the lap of luxury must get so tedious,” Tony deadpanned. 

 

Clint paused his automatic response.“Stark,” he said, hesitantly.“I don’t think I ever really thanked you for what you did for me after New York…” 

 

“I’m gonna stop you right there, Barton. You don’t owe me any thanks.That shouldn’t have happened to you.If anything, the U.S. government owes me some gratitude for helping them avoid some human rights violations.” 

 

The archer nodded at this words, but was clearly still contemplative. “Still,” Clint said.“I don’t know how you managed getting me out of there so fast, or why you cared about me after we had only just met and I had tried to kill you…like tried really hard.” 

 

“Loki tried to kill me really hard,” Tony deflected. “And anyway,” he said changing the topic, “if we’re going to be spending time together you should probably call me Tony.” 

 

“Clint, then,” the archer responded, smiling genially, accepting the change in direction. 

 

They ended up spending a comfortable afternoon together, making fun of the old movie and eating too much popcorn.Tony didn’t have to explain that the contingencies he fell back on to help Clint were originally the ones he had devised in case anything like that happened to him. 

 

***

Life with the Avengers was never dull, but they did fall into a rhythm.There were enemies that required the entirety of the team, but they were relatively few and far between.For the most part, they dealt with their own conflicts and agendas independently.  

 

While Steve was pre-occupied by his old war-buddy being uncovered and Natasha was dealing with fallout in congress from the leak of all the confidential S.H.I.E.L.D. files, Tony had his own mess to sort out with the Mandarin.Pepper gets caught up in the cross-fire and afterwards decides to take a series of business trips that keep her in the other hemisphere.Tony would try not to take it personally except it kind of is. 

 

The bigger fallout is with Oliver.In the few days that Tony was MIA, he was presumed dead by the greater public.Tony knew, he _knew_ he should have informed Oliver as soon as he could that he was alive.Why he didn’t he wasn’t sure…well, he was sure, but being confident that the man would order him public again before it was strategically viable was something he could not tell Oliver.Any way, the man had been grieving of course, and also furious that his own power and wealth was at risk in Tony’s absence. 

 

The discipline had been….intense.Tony had been in and out of Drop in the 48 hour since but he had most of the affects under control at this point.Ollie had permitted him to head to the Tower to do some work and Tony had taken the reprieve with shaky relief.It was difficult to be away from a Dom when he was teetering so on the line of Drop, but he did need to work and Ollie’s anger had yet to fully abate so Tony questioned how helpful his Dom’s presence would be anyway. 

 

If only Jarvis would stop interrupting him. 

 

“Sir, your heart rate is elevated, your hands are shaking, and your temperature is beyond normal realms.I believe you are unwell.” 

 

Tony sighed.“I’m fine J,” he muttered tiredly, “I just want to work for a while.” 

 

“Sir,” the AI persisted, voice gentle.“You’ve not been in contact for quite a few days.Past experience tells me that you are most likely experiencing Drop.There are several Dominants in the Tower right now. Perhaps Captain Rogers could…” 

 

“No! J! We’ve talked about this.”

 

“Sir, I remain unclear as to why this needs to continue to remain a secret from the Avengers.Observational data shows that all members of the team are quite respectful of Submissives and Agent Barton has been treated equally in combat situations.” 

 

“I’m not a normal Submissive, J.I’m cocky, arrogant, hard to handle.Oliver is the only Dominant who can deal with me.And I have to be a Dominant.That’s the only way I can keep the company, do my work.” 

 

Jarvis’s voice is almost tentative when he responds, “Forgive me Sir, I do not believe Oliver Glass is treating you appropriately.Sir, I believe Glass is and has been abusing you and taking advantage of …” 

 

“Mute!” Tony screeched, voice echoing in the sudden silence of his lab. 

 

**** 

 

After all their individual strife, the team is able to tie up some loose ends with the mind stone, and Tony feels exuberant; so pleased that the team is working out like he always wanted. It is too bad that things so quickly turn to shit.

 

Ollie, thankfully, is on an extended business trip the entire time that the debacle with Ultron occurs.It means that Tony doesn’t have to deal with the burden of his partner’s disappointment while he’s also dealing with the team’s.He had been truly feeling so close to pure contentedness when everything goes to shit. 

 

The team is reveling - the non-Avengers having departed - throwing some shade about Thor’s hammer when Ultron makes his grand entrance. 

 

Jarvis, Tony realizes with a heavy heart as he wrestles a rogue member of the Iron legion.His creation is desperately hurt, maybe even killed. 

 

“Tony Stark is weaker than you know,” Ultron promises the team before his shell is destroyed, leering at his erstwhile maker with cool robotic eyes.Tony feels a cool shudder work it’s way down his spine.He knows Ultron has seen through Tony’s facade. 

 

Thor is angrier than Tony has ever seen him and when he lifts Tony into the air in his rage, large hand gripping almost tight enough to put pressure on Tony’s spot behind his neck.Tony can only just manage to keep his cool long enough to quip out a plea for the God of Thunder to ‘use his words’. 

 

Even when the team had first met, they’d not been so at odds, and Tony quivers under the weight of so much Dominant disappointment.His instincts tell him to grovel and beg forgiveness but Ollie’s training is just strong enough to hold him steady until he can stagger to his private lab after the confrontation. 

 

In the lab, Tony allows himself a lone sob, one that he gasps out, almost from the belly.Retroactively, his body begins to shiver and he has to spray the pheromone neutralizer throughout the lab to cover up his distress.In due time, the genius recovers sufficiently to drag himself to a work station and determine just how bad the damage to Jarvis is. 

 

He’s not destroyed, but it’s close and Tony’s relief at Jarvis’ continued survival is tempered by the review of the extensive damage.Tony knows that Jarvis doesn’t feel pain in the same ways a human does, but the AI possesses emotion and Tony knows that the fear when this was happening to him must have been incredible. 

 

Tony keeps it together, for the most part.He does what needs doing and he protects the nuclear codes; they track Ultron and the Maximoffs to the racy arms dealer and the vibranium.When all is said and done, and Tony sees the damage the red-headed enhanced was able to wreck in the minds of Thor, Natasha, and Bruce, Tony understands he’s been played.He knows the witch has been in his mind and manipulated him in the creation of Ultron - she must have identified him as a sub and played on that nature, his weakness.He’s bitter, but she’s a kid and she was traumatized by the weapons his company helped circulate.It’s hard to hold it against her. 

 

He knows that they’ll need to have a conversation soon. 

 

**** 

It’s a quiet evening. 

 

Oliver had been in a good mood when Tony had removed himself from the tower and headed back to their penthouse and the two had enjoyed a nice supper, some harmless chatter and then retired to their living room to watch an old movie.Tony had increasingly relaxed throughout the evening and when Oliver had squarely met his eyes a quarter of the way through the evening, Tony had obligingly slid to his knees at Oliver’s feet, smiling when his dominant reached round the couch and pulled a cushion for his knees in front of Tony. 

 

Tony settled himself comfortably, headspace drifting closer to full submission as the movie continued and Oliver’s hand had gently tangled into his hair, not petting, but making its presence know.His body and mind felt heavier and he slowly leaned against the man’s leg, letting Oliver support more of his weight. 

 

“You’re lovely like this, Tony,” Oliver said softly, tugging Tony’s head back gently by the hair so that the sub’s eyes would make contact with his.Tony’s lips quirked into a smile, as his mind dipped deeper into ‘space.“Thank you, Sir.” 

 

“If only the world could see how lovely you are when you behave,” Oliver mused and Tony struggled not to dip further as he noted the sudden change in direction of the conversation.This was dangerous territory.Oliver seemed to sense his fight to come back Up and let his large hand drop to Tony’s neck, encircling it lightly, thumb running up and down over the back of it.The action required Tony’s gaze to drop back to the floor and the image became again one of supplication. Tony shivered at the action, senses clouding again at Oliver’s tactic.

 

“Unfortunately, the world is more distracted by your poor decisions as of late,” Oliver continued.“You created a murder bot, Tony.” 

 

“The… the Maximoff girl, Wanda, she manipulated me.” 

 

Oliver’s grip tightened, jostling him a little.Tony flinched against his will.“You should not be so eager to tell me that you were manipulated by a mere girl, sub.” The man’s voice was notably sharper now and Tony’s instincts had him dipping his head further down, baring more of the soft, white space of his neck.Oliver allowed this, his thumb taking more leeway on the widened space, other fingers tighter against the front of his neck.Tony started to shiver. 

 

“I’m so sorry, Sir,” Tony choked out. 

 

“As you should be.Although I shouldn’t think that sufficient for all the lives that were lost in the mess that ensued, do you?” 

 

“No, Sir,” Tony agreed. It was true, his nights had been deeply troubled ever since the affair, about 3 months ago now, he couldn’t keep out of his mind the people who had suffered through his actions, manipulated although he had been.Oliver had punished him already for this, of course, but the guilt was too much for Oliver’s punishment alone to absolve.He knew he would live with it forever. 

 

“If the world can’t trust you to make good decisions, I rather think you should have some more supervision,” Oliver said. “While your primary responsibilities are always to me, I believe your work with the Avengers to usually have positive outcomes for both the company and, occasionally, the world.However, I can not allow you to continue with these large scales debacles. I have decided that we will permanently move into the Tower.I know you’ve wanted to live there for some time now, and in this, you will get your wish.This will allow me to have more contact with you and provide the guidance you so obviously need.Since I am doing this as a favor to you, you will work hard to show me your gratitude.You will begin by disabling your monster in the living quarters we will share.” 

 

Oliver always referred to Jarvis as Tony’s monster.It has always chafed at Tony - Jarvis was more like his child! - but was never worth the argument. 

 

Oliver continued.“You will further make clear to your monster what it is and is not allowed to share of our private life with the rest of the inhabitants of the Tower, do you understand.” 

 

“Yes, Sir,” Tony whispered, knowing he had no other option than but to agree.He was disappointed at the loss of his independence in this matter, but of course, he told himself, he would have to trust to Oliver’s judgment in this; the man was putting himself out for Tony’s sake, after all.

 

“Good.We will move tomorrow.” 

 

“Yes, Sir.” 

 

Oliver releases his neck, hand moving away from him entirely.The movie resumes - Tony hadn’t even realized the man had paused it - Tony drifts. 


	2. In My Heart There Stirs a Quiet Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Oliver begin shared life at the Tower - Tony struggles to balance his Avengers routine with his relationship.

Tony feels refreshed after his extended stay in ‘space last night.It puts him in a fairly calm state of mind as he makes arrangements with his numerous nameless assistants employed by Stark Industries to organize their permanent move to Stark Tower.

 

Oliver has left to his own business, leaving behind a note for Tony that he will join him for dinner at the Tower that evening, where he expects to be introduced to the team. 

 

Tony knows that their relationship will require some explanation to the Avengers.As far as they are aware, Tony is single and is in fact something of a playboy.It will be a shock to their systems to learn that Tony has been in a committed relationship these last 20 years.And there is still some stigma associated with two Dominants being together.Tony doesn’t _think_ that any of the members of the Avengers are Dynamists, but he doesn’t know it for sure, and the risk of it causes an uncomfortable churn of anxiety to curl in his stomach. 

 

When he gets to the Tower himself, he heads to the lab, content that his instructions for the move will be carried out.He spares a fleeting thought to the poor suckers who don’t have the billions of dollars he has which allow him to avoid doing any of the moving himself before he gets to work, obeying his Dom’s instructions to reiterate the rules to Jarvis. 

 

“Deactivate all video and audio in the penthouse of the Tower, J.”

 

“Sir?” the AI is clearly surprised.After all, Tony’s inclination tends toward more technology in any given situation, not less. 

 

“Oliver and I are moving,” Tony responds shortly, internally bracing himself for the AI’s response. 

 

“I’m surprised Mr. Glass is willing to share his space with such a monster,” Jarvis slowly responds, and Tony isn’t surprised to know that he is aware of what Ollie calls him. 

 

“Be nice, J,” Tony replies flippantly, “I love you both.” 

 

“I don’t doubt that Sir,” Jarvis responds, but the AI’s voice sounds sad. 

 

They’re both silent for a few minutes as Tony pulls up some project specs and plans his afternoon before Ollie arrives and the dreaded team meeting must happen. 

 

“Sir,” Jarvis eventually interjects.“I do not mean to cause offense, but would you consider leaving at least some safety measures in place?I do not mean it as an insult to Mr. Glass, but this is still Avengers Tower and enemies do occasionally attempt a break-in.Without at least the thermal warning system and the health monitoring, we could be putting the rest of the Avengers at risk.” 

 

Tony bites back his instant rejection and takes a moment to consider Jarvis’ point. 

 

“Thermal readings and the basic health monitoring are approved.Protocol follows as such - if either warning system is triggered, your first step is to contact me via Stark phone.Second step is to turn on audio in the penthouse and attempt to contact me that way. Final step is notification to Captain Steve Rogers after all contact attempts have failed.” 

 

“Understood, Sir.” 

 

“Don’t be smug, J.” 

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it Sir.” 

 

Tony pauses.“Keep your interactions with Oliver at a minimum, Jarvis.If he asks for something, do it but try to do it silently whenever possible.I don’t need either of you antagonizing the other.And do not discuss Oliver or my history with him with any of the other Avengers.I don’t need them prying.If they have questions, they’ll have to come to me.” 

 

“Yes, Sir.”Tony decides to ignore the clear reluctance in his creation’s voice.Jarvis is unquestionably loyal, it is just in his wiring.

 

**** 

Oliver arrives at the Tower at 5 pm sharp and Tony rides down the elevator to greet him in the lobby. 

 

“Mr. Glass,” Tony says, voice formal, eyes lifted to meet Oliver’s in challenge.It’s a common refrain, for them, the public greeting and Oliver allows a slight smile to grace his features.In public, Tony is always being observed and even now he catches a handful of Stark Industries 

employees and business guests trying to watch their interaction out of the corners of their eyes. 

 

“Mr. Stark, I appreciate your taking the time to meet with me.” 

 

“Of course, shall we?” 

 

They head up on the Avengers’ private elevator - it will cause some speculation, as to what Oliver’s business is, but not much.Tony’s known for taking favored business partners to his lab so they can see his most recent inventions up close and Oliver is, after all, a primary stakeholder in Tony’s company. 

 

Oliver’s genial composure drops as soon as they are in the private elevator.“We shall have to find a less conspicuous way for me to enter my own home,” he observes coldly. 

 

Tony drops his eyes to the ground, head tilted down and to the right, exposing his throat in conciliation.“Yes, Sir.If it pleases you, there is a secondary entrance only the Avengers use.The entrance is a few blocks away and you’ll have to take a quick zip on a moving walkway underground, but it’s private.” 

 

Oliver snorts but reaches out with his right hand to tip Tony’s chin up, meeting the sub’s eyes directly.“I hope you’ll keep in mind how much this inconveniences me, sub.The things I do for you.” 

 

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Tony mumbles, hoping Oliver’s disappointment will stay contained at this level.The last thing he needs to do is get in a fight with his Dom right before they announce their relationship to his friends. 

 

“I suppose in due time, we shall see if that is true,” Oliver says, releasing Tony and moving toward the door just as the elevator stops on the Avengers’ floor. 

 

“I asked the team to meet me in the common room,” Tony says, attempting to imbue his voice with some levity.Steve’s hearing is exceptionally good and Natasha and Clint have a habit of showing up out of nowhere.It tires him even now to think of the monumental amount of effort it will be to keep his submissive nature under concealment with his Dom’s ongoing presence in the Tower. 

 

“Lead on, Tony.I’m excited to meet them,” Oliver smiles cheerfully at him and Tony feels a whoosh of relief that the man at least seems to understand the situation. 

 

Tony takes him down the short hallway to where the Avenger’s common area opens into a large, modern space.His team is sprawled on the three sofas arranged in an almost-square in the center of the room.Everyone except Thor is in attendance (the Asgardian had some pressing business on his home world) and they look at him with curious expressions. 

 

Except Natasha. 

 

“This is the man you’ve been living with,” she observes, no hint of emotion in her voice. 

 

Beside him, Tony senses Oliver stiffening, likely imperceptibly to the normal eye, though he is sure Natasha catches it.For himself, he manages to hold it together as he coolly replies. 

 

“You already know.” 

 

Natasha half turns her head to Clint on her other side, who is twiddling with a silver arrow head, moving it between his fingers casually.He catches her eyes and gives her a slight smirk.“It’s as though Master Spy means nothing to them,” she mutters. 

 

“I didn’t know,” Clint responds casually. 

 

“You were never assigned to uncover all of Stark’s secrets,” she returns, turning her gaze back to Tony. 

 

“Excuse me,” Oliver cuts in, meeting Natasha’s eyes boldly.She quirks an eyebrow, either surprised or impressed at the man’s assertiveness, Tony can’t tell which.“But I am surprised that you have known since, what? Before the Avengers came together?And you never brought up the topic with Tony?” 

 

Natasha shrugged.“Didn’t seem like my business,” she replied.“Anyway, the secrecy was easy enough to understand.People may claim to be more open-minded now, but two Doms in a relationship? That’s enough to still unsettle some people and that kind of negative attention is not exactly attractive to a public figure like Tony.” 

 

The rush of relief Tony feels at her statement is almost enough to break his composure. _She doesn’t know, she just thinks we have an illicit relationship.We’re safe. I’m safe.The company is safe._

 

“Anyway,” Tony breaks in.“This is Oliver Glass.We’ve been together a long time.Yes, we’re both Doms; no, neither one of submits to the other in the bedroom.Oliver has a substantial role in my company as well and we’ve lived together a few blocks away for several years.We’ve decided that with the team here at the Tower and the additional security measures I’ve put in place to support the Avengers, it makes sense for us both to settle here full time.” 

 

He sends a leering smile to Clint, who quirks a brow in response, otherwise the archer’s face revealing nothing but cool composure.“I know you miss me when I’m gone.” 

 

“In your dreams, Stark.” 

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” Oliver says at his side, making eye contact with each of his friends in turn.“Tony has told me so much about you, and of course I’m grateful for what you do for the city, and the world.” 

 

Steve interjects now, standing from the couch where had been observing the exchange.“Any friend of Tony’s is a friend of ours,” he says politely, approaching Oliver with an extended hand. The two shake and smile at each other.Tony, unable to suppress a nervous twitch, breaks in, “Ok, ok that’s enough bonding.I’m going to get Oliver settled.Ta ta.” 

 

And so goes the first introduction of his Dominant to the Avengers. 

 

**** 

 

Oliver’s composure breaks as soon as they enter the penthouse suite, a savage backend propelling Tony into the hastily closed door. 

 

“How DARE you not tell me that the Black Widow knew about me.Do you have any understanding of the danger you put us in?Do you?” Oliver’s eyes are cold as he takes in his sub, cringing away from him against the door, a hand involuntarily flown to the red spot on his cheek.He doubts it will make a visible mark, but he’s still surprised.Oliver rarely hits him in the face.Too risky. 

 

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Tony whispers, swallowing back the protest. _I didn’t know, surely he realizes that?Natasha_ is _in all true fact, a Master Spy.How could he expect me to know?_ He knows this logic will not have an impact on his Dom, who is only looking out for their welfare. 

 

Oliver does not look appeased by this apology.The man leaves Tony by the door, strolling around to observe the penthouse with a cool eye.There is a large living space with windows showcasing the very heart of Manhattan.A sumptuous bedroom opens up off to the side behind some ornate french doors and the kitchen is on the other.It’s about equal to the luxury of their former lodgings, and Tony had hoped it would please his partner, though Oliver chooses not to convey either his disappointment or pleasure.Instead dropping his briefcase next to the couch and settling there expectantly. 

 

Hesitating, Tony inches away from the door and when Oliver does not comment, walks round the couch and lowers himself to his knees in front of his Dom, head bent down, palms flat against his thighs.He thinks he knows what the man wants, but historically this situation has gone one of two ways - Oliver is appeased by his action and allows him the forgiveness he so craves or he infuriates the man by his presumption and the punishment is even worse than it would have been.Tony hesitates in indecision a moment too long and Oliver makes an irritated _tsssk_. 

 

“And everyone thinks you’re such a genius,” the man sneers.“What, boy, can’t take a hint?” 

 

Tony immediately springs forward hands reaching for the man’s belt.Oliver allows it but takes the belt from his hands when it is freed and sets it nonchalantly by his side. Tony fights back a shudder and proceeds to pull the man’s pants down, releasing Oliver’s long length.He’s soft, so Tony starts by tentatively rolling his balls between his fingers then graduates to soft hands rolling up and down his length.Oliver lets out a sigh after a few moments, but Tony knows what he likes, he waits for the inevitable. 

 

“Get on with it, then.” 

 

Pleased, tony swallows Oliver down, humming softly around the intrusion.Oliver grunts and let’s Tony do his thing as he slowly hardens.“At least you’re a genius at this,” the man mutters and Tony flushes at the praise. 

 

When the man is fully erect, Oliver, as usual, loses composure.Both hands come round the sides of Tony’s face and pull him against the man’s groin, forcing Oliver’s length fully down Tony’s throat. 

 

Tony, old hat at this, swallows around Oliver’s cock and breaths slowly through his nose, letting his eyes rise timidly to meet his Dom’s, which are narrowed in obvious pleasure. 

 

The man pulls him up and down on his cock a few times before he comes, abruptly, holding Tony tight as the engineer is forced to swallow around him, leaving a salty taste in his mouth.When he is released, Tony leans back onto his heels, still kneeling, not sure where he stands. 

 

Oliver pulls his pants back on and picks up the belt from where he had left it next to him, running hands up and down the smooth leather. 

Oliver sighs.“I believe you are remorseful,” he states and Tony risks a glance up at him through his lashes.“I know you do not mean to be such a bad boy.”Tony looks back down, devastated. 

 

“You require correction, although I do not relish giving it to you.I think you need the reminder though.” 

 

“Yes, Sir,” Tony whispers. 

 

“Go to the bedroom, remove your clothing and lay yourself on your belly on top of the bed, feet on the floor.You’ll take 20 with the belt and beg my forgiveness.Then, I think, you will be more careful and observant in the future.” 

 

Tony hurried to obey. 

 

****

 

Living permanently in the Tower was a mixed blessing.On the one hand, he had fallen into a prolonged state of flow so strong that he had completed two large Stark Industries projects and several Avengers weaponry improvements just in the course of the last two weeks.Oliver was exceptionally pleased with him for the speed and brilliance with which he delivered the SI projects and had congratulated himself on the decision to move to the Tower. 

 

Tony was pleased with his productivity of course, and with his more frequent interaction with Jarvis and his bots, but he couldn’t help the feeling of morose he had every time he was not ensconced in the lab.He was leery of stepping on Oliver’s toes in the shared penthouse and he was on high alert at all times when interacting with the man and the Avengers. 

 

In the past, his relationship with Oliver was always a closely guarded secret and even the few people who were privy to it did not interact with them on a regular basis.It was kind of exhaustion to have their relationship on public display in the Tower.They were negotiating all sorts of new territory. 

 

The Avengers were used to Tony acting in a certain way - snarking with Clint, getting exasperated with Thor, egging Steve into certain activities, doing science with Bruce.Oliver was used to Tony acting in a certain way as well - either being the consummate Dominant in public or being a sweet and quiet sub in private.Here, in the Tower, they had to be something different. 

 

It was a process of discovery fraught with danger.Tony had slipped up twice already, after that initial introduction. 

 

Once, it was for prioritizing Bruce over Oliver.Bruce, used to being able to request Tony’s presence and attention for prolonged projects when he was present at the Tower, had asked him to consult on something, and the science bros were so engaged with their experimentation, that Tony lost track of time.Unfortunately, it was a night that Oliver had specifically required his presence, and eventually the man came looking. 

 

Tony was stymied out of his science fugue state by a clearing of a throat.Looking up, heart in his chest, he met eyes with Oliver.The business man had a pleasant enough expression on his face, but Tony knew him well enough to know that he was _pissed._  

 

“Dr. Banner,” Oliver greeted politely. “Tony,” he said, voice slightly harder.Tony ducked his head imperceptibly, suddenly realizing his mistake. 

 

“Ollie,”Tony said.“I’m so sorry, I forgot we had arranged to have dinner together.” 

 

“I see that darling.Why don’t you excuse yourself and we can spend that time together after all?” 

 

“Of course.Bruce, do you mind if we pick this back up tomorrow?” Tony turned pleading eyes on his friend. 

 

Bruce frowned slightly but responded calmly enough.“Of course, Tony.I was actually about to suggest that we break for the evening. I need to let these run for about eight hours anyway.” 

 

“Why don’t you get your things in order and meet me upstairs,” Oliver said to Tony.It wasn’t a suggestion, regardless of its phrasing.Tony nodded, heart in his throat. The man turned on his heel and left the lab. 

 

“Lover’s quarrel?” Bruce said lightly, gaze even as he appraised his friend.Tony was aware that he was acting slightly out of character so he smirked in reply, even as his fingers raced to shut down the programs he had running. 

 

“Ollie’s not used to sharing me,” Tony said calmly enough.“And we have an agreement that when I say I will meet him, I need to prioritize that agreement.” 

 

“That’s very…mature, Tony,” Bruce replied as he closed up his own programs and checked on the centrifuge.“It seems like he’s good for you.” 

 

Tony was glad he didn’t have to meet his friends eyes at that statement.“He is,” Tony agreed quietly.The discipline hurt, of course, but he so obviously needed it.Ollie went out of his way to make Tony better.He needed to remember to be more grateful. 

 

When he arrived up at the penthouse, Oliver was seated on the main couch.The man looked briefly over his shoulder at his recalcitrant sub then went back to the book he had in his hands.“Go to the bedroom and strip.The return to me.” 

 

“Yes, Sir.” 

 

Tony trembled as he stripped down. _I need this punishment_ , he reminded himself. _How could I have forgotten my Dom?_

 

Oliver let him stand naked and shivering in front of him for a good 5 minutes, calmly turning the pages of his book before he reached over to the side table for the bookmark and set his book down.His eyes raked up and down Tony’s form, hands behind his back, legs slightly apart, and head completely down in supplication, as he had been taught. 

 

“What do you have to say for yourself, boy?” 

 

“I have no excuses Sir,” Tony admitted.

 

“No.You do not.” 

 

Oliver reached out and tugged Tony closer to him.“Lay yourself across my lap.” 

 

“Sir?” 

 

“Don’t question me, boy.” 

 

Tony did as instructed, face burning as he settled his torso down against the leather couch, his ass up and in the air atop his Dom’s groin.Oliver pet him softly, his hand trailing up and down his exposed bum. 

 

“I am going to spank you Tony.” 

 

Tony was surprised.Oliver usually favored harsher methods of discipline, the belt or sometimes a cane. 

 

Oliver continued.“It seems that you need a reminder of my importance in your life, sub.If you fail to meet my expectations, you will suffer at my hand.I am always your first priority.Have you forgotten?” 

 

“No, Sir,” Tony whispered.Then, tentatively.“I love you, Sir.” 

 

A harsh whack comes down on Tony’s left buttocks, forcing a surprised yelp out of him.Oliver leaves his hand on the spot as he replies.“If you loved me, you would obey me. In all things.As usual, you disappoint.” 

 

He dropped another spank, in the same spot, but Tony, being more prepared was able to contain his reaction to the pain, if not the words.Tears threatened and Tony’s voice was chocked as he beseeched his Dom, head threatening to drop into ‘space. 

 

“I’m sorry, Sir.” 

 

“You will be,” Oliver promised. 

 

The spanking lasted a long time. 

 

At the end of it, Tony was a mess.His ass was on fire and bruises were already starting to appear.His face was red and crusted with tears.Oliver took in his state callously, then nudged the spaced out sub off of him and onto his knees on the floor.He picked up his book and resumed his reading.Tony leaned his head against the man’s thigh and floated. 

 

The other time Tony had slipped up, Oliver had been displeased with the way he interacted with Clint.The team had been having dinner together, a somewhat frequent occasion and Oliver had been in the Tower and so, had joined them. 

 

“You’re going to need to get your ass back to the training floor if you want to come on this next mission, Tony,” Clint had mentioned casually.“Shield doesn’t think you’ll be able to wear the suit for most of it and I don’t want you out of practice in hand-to-hand.These mercenaries are supposed to be fairly well trained.” 

 

Tony was nodding but he smirked and met Clint’s eyes, “Spend a lot of time thinking about my ass, bird-brain?” 

 

“Mostly just about how to kick it,” Clint had replied in kind, narrowing his eyes. 

 

Dinner had continued in its usual order but Oliver had sent a glare to Tony after the exchange, though the genius wasn’t entirely sure what he had done wrong. 

 

He was quickly apprised of the situation when they returned to their quarters. 

 

“If you’re going to flirt with every one you come into contact with, Tony, then you clearly don’t have a lot of respect for the one person who is in command of your body.” 

 

“Ollie,” Tony started. 

 

“I’m pretty sure that’s Sir, to you boy,” Oliver barked. 

 

“Sir,” Tony conceded.“That’s just how Clint and I interact.I don’t mean anything by it and I assure you he’s not interested.He’s a sub!” 

 

“A sub that believes you to be a Dominant.Really, Tony, do you think its fair to him that you should flirt with him so?Consider the power dynamics he must be going through on the team as one of the only subs.You’re being cruel.To him. And to me.” 

 

Tony startled at the argument.“I…I didn’t think about it that way, Sir.” 

 

“Oh Tony, you don’t have to explain to me that you didn’t think.It’s pretty clear.” 

 

Tony said nothing, just continued his inspection of the floor. 

 

“Since you’re so sure that everyone is paying so much attention to your ass, maybe we should remind you to whom it belongs.” 

 

_Another spanking then,_ Tony thought, resigned.The bruises had only just faded from his last one.Why must he be so bad so frequently? 

 

“Yes, Sir.” 

 

“Strip and lay on the bed,” Oliver said dismissively.“I will attend to you presently.” 

 

“Yes, Sir.” 

 

Oliver joins him after about 15 min.Tony is face down on the bed.Oliver opens a drawer in his bureau - Tony never goes in there, of course - but Tony isn’t brave enough to look up as he toys with whatever he pulls out. 

 

The man settles next to him, laying down bodily next to Tony, gaze intense on the sub’s hidden face.He trails a gentle finger down the length of Tony’s back and lingers his fingers on the crest of Tony’s ass. 

 

“This is a punishment sub,” the man says coldly.“If you cannot be bothered to remember to whom your ass belongs, if you are willing to tease it so casually in front of others, then that tells me you need a firm reminder of the state of affairs. If your ass requires so much attention, then I assure you, you will have it.” 

 

Oliver must have gotten lube, and he unscrews the bottle now, coating his fingers in the viscous liquid before he finagles one into Tony’s opening.Tony hitches a breath but keeps his body still as Oliver works the finger deeper, casually penetrating him.“Turn your head to look at me, boy.” 

 

Tony obeys, meeting Oliver’s intense gaze, face flushed and ashamed as he is breached.Oliver lets a cruel smile enter his face when he adds a second finger abruptly and Tony’s eyes widen. 

 

Then he withdraws his fingers.“Enough prep, I should think,” he says.“This is a punishment after all.” 

 

He fidgets behind him for a second before pulling a long, dark dildo from behind him.The toy is longer and thicker than Oliver, which means that its longer and thicker than any cock he’s ever taken and a cold sweat breaks out on Tony’s body.Oliver turns it around so Tony can see the flared base.

 

“This is designed to stay inside you,” Oliver informs him.“To reinforce my message, you will sleep with this inside of you and spend tomorrow morning with it inside of you at my feet.I think that will be a good reminder, no?” 

 

“Yes, Sir,” Tony manages. 

 

“Good.Open your mouth.” 

 

Tony obeys wearily, choking as Oliver forces the dildo deep into his throat, ignoring Tony’s sputters as he slides it in and out a few times, casual.Then he pulls it out, dips it briefly into the lube and starts working it into Tony’s ass. 

 

Tony grunts as he forces the thing farther inside of him, tearing up as he is forced wider and wider.Oliver doesn’t tear him, but it feels as though Tony has been stretched to the brim, and the feeling is the opposite of pleasure.His head is flirting with ‘space but he's left to hover just on the brink.Oliver seems pleased that he hasn’t slipped altogether, pulling his hand away and reaching over to turn out the light.The other man is asleep in minutes but Tony is awake for hours, uncomfortably aware of the thing in his ass, unable to fall deeper into headspace.Stuck until he eventually slips into a half-sleep until the morning when Oliver awakens and, true to his word, keeps Tony at his feet for duration of their morning routine.When the man finally seems prepared to head to his own business he instructs Tony to bend over the table where he unceremoniously removes the toy and drops it into the trash. 

 

“What have you learned, sub?” 

 

Tony sucks in a breath, knowing that it is important he makes the right response.Not the obvious one.“Sir, my ass belongs to you, just as the rest of me does.I should not be so careless nor casual with it.” 

 

“Sufficient,” Oliver agrees.“If you disappoint me again in this way, I will split you open with a larger toy than that and I will make you wear it in public, as a reminder.Do you understand?” 

 

“Yes, Sir.”

 

***** 

 

“Steve and Oliver seem to have developed quite the friendship,” Natasha comments offhandedly to Tony one day, about a month into the move, while they are both making use of the kitchen on the Avengers’ floor.Tony is sipping on some coffee when she makes the comment and hastily swallows the hot liquid to avoid choking. Natasha catches his startled reaction, her eyes glinting suddenly. 

 

“Not happy with that state of affairs then, Stark?” 

 

“What?” Tony blusters, setting the coffee cup down and turning around to fiddle with the machine.“No.I like them both, obviously.I’m pleased they get along.” 

 

He had noticed already that Steve and Oliver were developing a friendship.It didn’t really surprise him.They had a number of qualities in common, and Oliver was patient with Steve’s lack of current cultural knowledge, which usually set the Captain apart from everyday civilians.Steve showed no sign of judging either Tony or Oliver for their queer Dom/Dom relationship and had abstained from questioning them about it.Oliver, in turn, seemed to appreciate this about the man, and his straightforward character, as the remaining inhabitants of the Tower were slightly more standoffish. 

 

“You seem different with him around, Stark.Is everything well between you?” 

 

“Of course it is,” Tony snapped.“Why wouldn’t it be?He keeps me calm is all, I’m more organized.Less of a spaz.” 

 

“And here I thought being a spaz was an incorruptible part of who you were,” Natasha replies lightly. 

 

“Guess you don’t know all my secrets after all, then,” Tony replies, and is started to hear the bitterness in his own voice.From her reaction, Natasha is surprised as well and leans back in her chair, regarding him cooly. 

 

“You’re displeased that I never told you that I knew about Glass,” she discerns. 

 

Tony doesn’t answer her, taking another sip of his coffee and glaring at her about the rim of his drink.She isn’t to know how he was punished for that of course, couldn’t think that he would be, since she thinks he's a Dom.But he remembers the punishment vividly.The belt against his prone form.He gives up the glare and looks down into his mug.There’s nothing to be done for it. 

 

“I thought we were friends,” he said. 

 

“We are,” she replies immediately.“But its a sensitive subject and not my business.If you were in a relationship with a sub, I might have mentioned it, but you went out of your way to conceal your relationship, as I might have done were I in a relationship with another sub.I didn’t want to force you to get into it.” 

 

And isn’t that a kicker - that Natasha is a sub, a fact he so frequently forgets given her general disposition.She is assertive and aggressive - like him - in public, but she gets away with it.He feels an irrational flare of jealousy.He fights it back, he has to remember that he’s a special case.He needs the discipline that Oliver gives to him.Natasha is better than him, that’s all.She doesn’t need the reminders to be a good sub.She also doesn’t have to deal with the same stakes.Not anymore, at least. 

 

Tony knows that the Red Room had taken advantage of Natasha’s submissive nature.Had called it to the fore and beat her into something they could use.Something that would obey orders unconditionally, in the deadly and unsuspecting way that they so needed.Natasha had, through sheer force of will, broken away from that mold, and taken advantage of Shield’s offer of employment and Clint’s offer of friendship.She almost never allowed herself to behave in a submissive nature around the team, much like Clint, and Tony suspected they both maintained their Balance through trained, highly discrete professional Doms. 

 

They were both highly successful in their careers and well-respected publicly and honestly? Tony burned with jealousy.He wished that he could be so competent, could accomplish so much without the constant hand of discipline that Oliver had to continuously employ.He was sure his Dom too, was tired of being constantly vigilant to his mistakes. 

 

Tony clears his throat, realizing that Natasha is waiting for a response.He sends her an easy smile, “Yea, no I get it.Makes sense.” 

 

She pauses, then, “Since it is an open point of conversation now, Tony.I am curious - how do you stay Balanced?” 

 

Startled, Tony shot her an angry glare.That was a highly personal question - for anyone.“We have our ways,” he bit out. 

 

“This is more than just passing fancy, Stark.You’re a member of the most elite team in the world, and one of the only defenses we have if aliens decide to strike again.Can’t really afford you being out of Balance.” 

 

“It’s never been a problem before,” he points out, voice poisonous, white-knuckled grip on his coffee cup. 

 

“I always assumed you used professionals,” she says, shrugging.“But except for SI meetings, you’ve not stepped outside the Tower since you’ve moved in.And you haven’t had visitors except for your assistants.A month is a long time to go without a Scene.” 

 

“You’ve been watching me?” Tony does _not_ shriek. He is not freaking out right now.He isn’t. 

 

Natasha doesn’t look remorseful.“You tinker, I spy.I can’t shut it off any more than you can,” she replies. “If it makes you feel better, I do it with everyone.” 

 

“Yea, doesn’t make me feel better.Look, Ollie and I, we have scheduled times where one or the other of us bosses around the other.Small things, commands to do the dishes or such.It’s enough to keep Balance on a day-to-day basis and not trip either of us into Fight.If there’s an emergency, we call in a pro.” 

 

It’s a reasonable response, even if it stretches credulity a bit, that Tony of all people would let himself be casually commanded by someone.Natasha doesn’t reply at first, seeming to think about it before she ultimately shrugs.“None of my business,” she agrees.“As long as you stay Balanced.” 

 

She meets his eyes and softens.“We are friends Tony.I care about you and I care about your health.” 

 

Tony sets his coffee cup in the sink.He takes a breath.“Stop spying on me, and maybe I”ll believe you, _friend_.” 

 

He leaves the room and she remains behind, watching him go.He can’t help but feel that his secrets are not entirely safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Oliver punishes Tony for various infractions in cruel ways, lack of aftercare, more emotional manipulation


	3. In the Winter Stands the Lonely Tree

It’s chaos at the Avengers Tower when Clint is dragged off the Quinjet by a particularly pale Wanda Maximoff. In short order, the team is informed that Clint was injured during a successful but FUBAR mission in South America. The archer is mostly aware and conscious, but has a pretty messy head wound and is beyond likely to slip into a trauma-induced drop in the near future if he isn’t handled by a properly trained Dom. Tony has medical professionals on standby, as any responsible billionaire genius who more than occasionally dabbles as a super hero would, and Clint is whisked off for recovery. 

Wanda, it seems, has been deemed sufficiently trained by S.H.I.E.L.D. to officially participate in some lower-level missions as practice before joining the Avengers full-time and had been sent with Clint to South America. Given her prior association with the team and her agreed-upon future with them, S.H.I.E.L.D. had decided to let her bring Clint home. 

Nat and Steve, besides a brief nod to Wanda when she came in, have pretty much been completely distracted by Clint’s care and Tony has somehow been left alone with her after the medical contingent took off. They’re staring at each other awkwardly in the common space before he finally looks off to the side and shrugs. 

“Since you’re here, want to take a look at your future quarters?” he offers in a peacemaking attempt. 

There’s a considered silence for a second before the accented voice responds. “That would be much appreciated, Mr. Stark.” 

They catch the elevator to a floor a few levels below, where Tony has setup a number of additional Avengers quarters in preparation for future team growth; eternally optimistic that their recruiting efforts will keep pace with their constantly expanding enemy base. 

Wanda seems to appreciate the lightly furnished apartments, taking a look around quietly and making pleased sounds as she opens doors and cabinets. “I look forward to eventually moving here,” she says, leaning against the counter and looking up at him from where he stands on the other side. 

Frowning, Tony leans against the wall and crosses his arms. It's been pleasant enough he guesses, awkward as it is, but the two of them have unfinished business and it needs to be addressed. 

“Let’s cut the crap. What do you know?” 

Wanda doesn’t glare but her eyes glint with sudden intensity. She is quiet for a moment, clearly deliberating before she answers. 

“Less than I should. My skills weren’t as developed when we met last. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been helping me expand my powers, but for some reason I feel …. muted, here, somehow.” 

Tony narrows his eyes. “You’ve been trying to get into our minds.” 

“No,” she denies. “I do not use my gifts on friends. It is just a sense.” 

Tony concedes. “Thor helped me develop some protections. He has a long history with someone who messes with the mind.” 

“I see. And these ‘protections’ can be removed in case of emergency?” 

“By me, yes. And by Rogers in case I can’t be reached.” 

“Do you intend to use these protections the entire time I am in residence?” 

“Why don’t you tell me if I need to,” Tony challenges back. “You haven't answered my question.” 

“I know you’re a sub,” Wanda admits, meeting him square in the eyes. 

Tony’s breath stutters for several heartbeats. He’s stricken, although he already knew it must be true. So few people know, all of them people Oliver trusted. Now he’s allowed someone he doesn’t trust, someone who has been an enemy to have this knowledge of them. He feels his face pale and drops his eyes hastily from Wanda’s, crossed arms moving to curl around himself as he looks down and to the side. 

Wanda leans back off the counter as she regards the sub more fully. She frowns in concern, his reaction much stronger than she had been expecting. She’s still so confused by this man, this genius who was indirectly at fault for orphaning her but who had also saved the world that she had unwittingly put in danger. He should be a brazen, ruthless man but he’s self-sacrificing and generous instead. And shockingly timid now, in this moment. Her instincts are pulled further to the fore, the impulse to check in on an alarmed sub. She tries to tamp that over-protective instinct down, knowing it won’t be well-received, but she knows her voice gives her away when she answers him. 

“You needn’t fear me. I would not force another divergent out of a safe place of hiding that they were somehow able to keep.” 

She knows her voice implies curiosity at the end. She does want to know how Tony is able to hide his Dynamic. She’s never seen it done before. Tony doesn’t answer her at first though, her comment startling him enough to glance up and look at her in surprise. 

She knows that he’s taking a moment to acknowledge that she is, in fact, a female Dominant, meaning that she has the unique background to understand some of the pain that he would go through as a public sub with his wealth and position. 

“What else do you know?” Tony asks, voice quiet. 

She frowns. “That is it. Just that you are a submissive and that it is a secret even from the rest of your friends. I do not understand this. If you must hide in public, so be it, but surely Captain Rogers and the others are trustworthy enough for you to share this information with them? I apologize, but I must ask, how do you stay Balanced?” 

Tony slumps further against the wall and looks away from her. He’s silent for at least a minute, clearly deep in thought. She waits him out patiently, knowing he is deciding how far he can trust her, whether to put their new working relationship to this kind of test. 

Finally, his voice is soft as he explains. “I have a partner, Oliver Glass, who lives here with me in the Tower. The others have met him, of course, but they think we’re queer and have scheduled domination exchanges to keep Balance. He’s my Dom though - has been since I was 20. Oliver is also a business partner and a well-known Stark Industries figure. Keeping Balance has never been an issue.” 

He pauses, takes a few breaths. “Someone like me…I can’t be a sub in public. My father, Howard, he knew I was a genius but we knew there would be too much discrimination if I revealed what I was. Stark Industries would be in danger. Dad…he helped me and Oliver figure out how to keep everything safe and grow the company better than ever. It’s worked for us, these last twenty years. And I have the freedom and security to keep creating and to help the Avengers and maybe make the world just a little bit better. It’s a small price to pay to have to act the Dom.” 

He gives her a small, self-deprecating smile, unconsciously charming and she can’t help feel that same protective instinct rush through her again. His neck shifts slightly up and to the left, displaying his bare throat just slightly and Wanda wonders if he knows he’s actively beseeching as a sub does with a trusted Dom or if the movement is instinctive. He's one of the only male subs she's ever met, besides Agent Barton, and she can't help her curiosity about the divergent. Male subs and female Doms...they're often considered something of an abomination in Sokovia and she knows that while it is politically incorrect to say so here, in America, they are often considered the same way by more traditional crowds. She and Pietro, who was a baseline, had spent a lot of their formative years in the suspect company of Hydra, and Dynamic hadn't been a frequent focus. They sent her subs on a regular interval and they did the bare minimum to keep her healthy. S.H.I.E.L.D., along with many other things they had been teaching her, had been helping her develop healthy Dynamic interaction - recognizing Dynamic traits in day-to-day conversations and understanding her own instincts. It was a work in progress. 

Tony had continued talking. 

“I would appreciate it if you would keep this information to yourself. I have an effective relationship with the other Avengers and we are trying to save the world after all. My private, personal business that isn’t hurting anybody shouldn’t be any hindrance to this. And because of that, and for the sake of moving past our own personal history, would you be willing to just forget it ever happened?” 

Wanda considered. The man made good points after all, and no one was being harmed. This isn’t how she would choose to live her life, especially not hiding such things from one’s friends, but it wasn’t her life to live. It was his. 

“Very well, Mr. Stark. Your secret is safe with me.” 

Tony let out a long sigh, his eyes shifting over Wanda’s form suspiciously, weighing her honesty. “Thank you,” he finally said and turned to leave. 

He paused when his hand was on the door and a foot was half in the hallway. “Call me Tony.” 

 

******

Tony enters Phase unexpectedly and he and Steve get into one of their worst fights to date. It's never been easy with Steve - they are polar opposites in personality, Tony often thinks,, with Steve’s Boy Scout person and Tony’s scandalous one. But it's not all Tony's fault either, the engineer thinks. Steve isn't particularly generous to Tony, maybe because of his past association with Howard, Tony doesn't know, but Steve, while trusting in the field, has a hard time assuming Tony will do the right thing when the fate of the world isn't at stake. And sometimes even when it is. 

Tony honestly thinks the Accords are a good idea. As egotistical as he tends to be, even he can admit that Ultron was a fiasco, and that maybe he also shouldn't be the sole driver of the kind of decision that leads to a nuclear weapon being launched at an unknown alien species. There are billions of people trying to exist out here in the world after all, and why should Tony Stark make unilateral decisions for all of them? 

Steve doesn’t see the situation in the same way. Retrospectively, Tony can acknowledge that the man came of age in an era when the Nazis rose to power, when government couldn’t be trusted to make the right decision for the larger whole. He also knows that on a personal level, authority had always told Steve “no”. 

When Steve had tried to fight on behalf of his country? - “No.” 

When Steve had wanted to ship out to the front lines immediately following the introduction of the serum into his system? - “No.” 

‘When Steve had wanted to launch a rescue mission to save his best friend? - “No.” 

And then of course there was the fact that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. The one institution that Steve had begun to trust and they had been completely overrun. 

So yea, Tony gets why Steve might have trust issues. But the man is also unwilling to listen. 

Phase exacerbates tensions immensely. 

Phase happens unpredictably to all Dynamic individuals. Some experience it on an almost cyclical basis while others can go months or years without experiencing it at all. And it can last for variable amounts of time. 

Phase is brought on by a variation in secondary Dynamic hormones. It doesn’t have a correlation to overall Dynamic Balance, but environmental factors, stress levels, and other unknown factors contribute to the occasional buildup of secondary hormones that lead to a temporary shut down of Dynamic instincts. 

While it is still possible to intuit a person’s Dynamic - whether another is Baseline, Dominant, or submissive - it otherwise completely inhibits typical Dynamic behavior. For all intents and purposes, Dynamics become Baselines for the duration of the Phase. 

People have a mixed response to Phase. For some, Phase a is a fun, experimental time, when couples investigate aspects of their relationship that Dynamics makes more difficult - for example, perhaps an experimentation with bondage for a Dom who has always been curious what his partner likes about it but can’t bear the thought of another having that kind of control over him when his instincts are at the forefront. 

But often Phase is a stressful time for those who experience it as well as the other people in their life. With the Dynamic response removed, relationships often don’t hum along as well as they usually do. 

Tony found Phase incredibly stressful. Oliver hated Tony in Phase. He found Tony rude, churlish. He accused the engineer of acting like the man Tony portrayed in public. While in Phase, Tony tended to find these accusations irritating and would argue back. When he was back to his senses, he found regret for these statements. 

Oliver never punished him in Phase - Tony suspected that he thought the effort a waste. But the punishments for his behavior afterwards? Those were some of the punishments that kept Tony up at night. 

Luckily, Tony didn’t Phase very often. Typically about once a year, after a period of nine to twelve months. And it usually only lasted about 3 days. Oliver was slightly more frequent - about once a quarter, but his was extremely brief, only about a day. 

Tony couldn’t even remember the last time he had encountered Oliver in Phase. As his were slightly more predictable, Oliver usually arranged to be out of the country when they happened. As much as Oliver disliked Tony in Phase, the man hated his own more. 

Tony has cause to regret approaching Steve with the Accords when he already knew he was in Phase. It tends to make him irritable enough in a vacuum but it also means he misses the cues he would usually pick up. As Tony is advocating passionately on behalf of the Accords, Steve is getting angrier and angrier and Tony, who would usually be able to pick up on the increasingly frustrated signals and would have pulled back or moderated his approach based on them, doesn’t realize there’s a real problem until Steve is on the verge of Fight. 

It makes sense - to Steve’s instincts, another Dominant is challenging him in all the ways that matter most. Tony himself should probably be on the verge of Fight if he were a Dominant in actuality and he sends a nervous look to the other Avengers occupying the conference room. They’re all looking uneasy, staring back and forth between the two arguing men, but Natasha looks suspicious - meeting Tony’s eyes levelly, clearly picking up on the fact that he is not emitting the Dominant signals he should be in this situation. 

Hastily Tony retreats from the conversation. “I’ll give you some time to think it over Cap,” he says, knowing that it is only going to increase Natasha’s suspicions to give in to another Dominant this way, but not knowing any other way to cleanly extricate himself. 

“I think that’s wise Stark,” Barton speaks up from where he stands close to Steve, his posture imminently submissive in the wake of Dominant Fight, neck inclined down and cast to the side in supplication to Steve’s raging instincts. Tony shoots a look at the other Dynamic members of the Avengers. Natasha, as usual gives away nothing, but Wanda and Bruce are holding themselves tense, clearly on edge with the situation. 

Tony nods. “We need to keep talking about this, but I’ll give you all some time to think it over.” 

He retreats. 

**** 

“You’re in Phase,” Oliver observes within five minutes of Tony entering their apartment. His partner is staring at Tony, lips pulled back in disgust. Frankly, Tony is a little impressed at how quickly Oliver noticed; the man is much more observant than Tony gives him credit for sometimes. 

“Yes, Sir,” Tony says demurely, unwilling to get into another argument this close to his fight with Steve. If he wasn't in Phase he’d probably be on the verge of a mild Drop from that and he’s absently grateful that at least he doesn’t have to worry about that for a few days. 

Tony hates being in Phase around Oliver. He’s not as attuned as he usually is to the man’s wants and actions and he mis-steps more than he cares to admit. The safest avenue is usually to just mimic his usual behavior and cross his fingers that he picks up on the right cues. 

 

“When did it start?” 

“This morning,” Tony responds shortly. 

“And you went out in public?” Oliver sounds furious and Tony glances over at him. Tony is standing in the kitchen, halfway through eating a burrito at the kitchen counter and Oliver has stood up from where he had been sitting in the living room, arms crossed and looking vaguely murderous. 

“People go out in Phase all the time, Oliver. It’s not dangerous.” 

“People don’t have a multi-billion dollar empire to protect. You’re an idiot in Phase Tony - completely oblivious to how you should behave. I’ve told you before that I expect you to isolate yourself when it happens.” 

It stings a little that Oliver is right - Tony probably - no definitely - should not have approached Steve when he was in Phase. For something that important, he needed his full wits about him and yet, like a moron, he had done it anyway. 

“Well it happened,” Tony muttered sullenly, looking down at his burrito, suddenly not having much of an appetite. “Can’t change it now.” 

The fist caught him by complete surprise. It was only as he was reaching up to the counter to pull himself back up that he completely processed what had happened. Oliver…didn’t touch him in Phase. It just didn’t happen. 

Tony leaned back against the opposing counter and rubbed his cheek gently. He didn’t feel the usual wave of apologetic panic that he usually did, just a sense of calm irritation. He met his partner’s red face and furious glare from across the kitchen island before he shrugged, pulling open the freezer for an ice pack. 

“You don’t talk to me like that,” Oliver said, voice barely more than a snarl. 

“Let’s make a deal,” Tony says, full of snark. “I won’t talk to you like that if you don’t hit me in the goddamn face. Jesus Oliver. This is going to bruise.” 

“Good,” the man snaps back, “maybe you need a more visible reminder of how you are expected to behave.” 

There’s a knock on the door. Both men freeze, assessing the situation. Tony lowers the ice pack so Oliver can get a good view of his face. The man looks frustrated, “It’s already starting to bruise.” 

“Fuck,” Tony responds, pulling the ice pack back up. If they can’t hide it, he might as well continue getting some relief. 

He shrugs and skirts around Oliver to get the front door. 

“Natasha,” he says shortly, giving her a once over before turning around and heading back to the kitchen. She looks between him and Oliver, and takes a hard look at the ice pack Tony is holding to his face. 

“You hit him,” she says, no question at all in her voice as she turns to Oliver. 

To his credit, Oliver looks wracked with guilt. “He tipped me into Fight,” Oliver says, voice wobbling. “I know I already told you, but I am so sorry babe.” 

Tony waves it off, “It’s fine. I’m in Phase, I’m having a hard time picking up on how much I’m irritating the other Dominants around me. Clearly you saw that with Steve earlier, Nat.” 

“Yea, but Steve didn’t end up hitting you,” Natasha responds levelly, eyes still narrowed at Oliver. 

“Let’s move on,” Tony says. “Oliver isn’t responsible for something he did in a Fight I put him in.” 

“Surprising how quick he was able to come out of that Fight,” Natasha observes coolly. “Especially without a sub.” 

“Look, we have practice at being queer, ok?” Tony snaps. It’s not hard, he doesn’t have to fight his instincts to be subservient at all right now. “I pushed Ollie over the edge, he tipped into Fight, he punished me and I got on my knees and apologized. Ok? Any more of our private business you’d like to know?” 

“Punished…” Natasha murmurs but its not a question and Tony doesn’t respond, just continues glaring. Oliver has settled himself in a bar stool at the end of the island, clearly trying to make himself look less threatening. 

“Why are you here anyway, Romanoff?” Tony questions chilly. 

“Phase explains a lot,” she responds. “We were all curious as to why you didn’t also start tipping into Fight. Also explains why you didn’t pick up on just how angry Steve was getting. Why would you decide to broach something like this when you can’t pick up on half of the social cues in a room?” 

Tony sighs and sets the ice pack down, running a tired hand across his face. “To be honest, I didn’t really think about it. The Accords need to be signed and it’s a logical, intellectual argument, in my opinion. I didn’t expect there to be quite so much emotion involved. And I didn’t predict that Steve would be so against it. He’s Captain America, after all.” 

“Yea, sure, don’t expect the guy who literally has been fighting Nazis his entire life to have an emotional response to the idea of governmental oversight. Smart.” 

“Look, I don’t need the criticism, ok?” Tony snapped. His fingers skittered briefly over the quickly forming bruise under his eye; Nat’s eyes tracked the clearly unconscious movement. “Clearly, I was wrong. I get it. Again, why are you here if not to just point out the obvious?” 

“I agree with you.” 

“….oh.” 

“We are the primary reason Sokovia was destroyed and we almost ended up being responsible for the destruction of the entire world. Wanda didn’t mean it, but she did end up blowing up that building, and Steve and I ended up uncovering a terrorist plot, but we still made a trail of considerable destruction when we went after S.H.I.E.L.D. If we can great a governing body that we trust, I think having some second opinions and some approval would go a long way.” 

“Yea? What about the others?” 

“Bruce has a long history of being suspicious of authority, and for good reason. But he, more than any of us, fears the destruction he can cause. Getting approval for when Big Green comes out from a higher authority would go a long way in helping his conscious. I think he can be talked around. 

“Clint, I can talk around. He’s not particularly trusting, but he’s worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. for years. I think I can make him understand the necessity. Wanda, I honestly don’t know. Thor will likely be a non-issue. He’ll sign if we ask him to sign but he won’t pay attention to human laws. Thor’s a God. We’ll have to watch him if we can convince everyone to sign. He won’t understand that there will be a … process.” 

Tony nods thoughtfully, anger forgotten as he thinks about what Nat is saying. 

“Steve remains the big barrier,” Natasha continues. “And Sam will do as Steve does. He’s loyal that way.” 

“What’s our strategy for Steve then?” Tony asks. “I’m presuming you have one?” 

“Steve’s stubborn but he’s not egotistical. If we can convince all the others, and we approach Steve, he’ll reconsider his opinion.” 

Tony snorts. “Didn’t you just tell me about how Steve has spent a lifetime fighting Nazis? Most of the time, he was accustomed to making unilateral decisions on the field. Or have you forgotten Azzano? Everyone told him that it was impossible to save those prisoners and he went anyway. Popular opinion is not a motivating factor for the man.” 

“Azzano was only possible because your father and Peggy Carter aided and abetted him. People he trusted agreed with his opinion that such a mission could be accomplished. We’re people he trusts, Tony. Let’s try it my way.” 

Tony considers. He hadn’t gotten very far this afternoon and he didn’t have a lot of brilliant ideas at the moment. Ultimately, he shrugs. “Your way, then.” 

***** 

Tony’s Phase ends. Letting Natasha do her thing, he doesn’t broach the topic of the Accords with Steve again, fielding the increasingly pressure-filled calls from General Ross with his usual snarky aplomb. 

In the meantime, the team has been busy defending the city. For some reason, there has been an increasing number of strange creatures with strange designs infiltrating New York’s air space through even stranger portals. Steve and Tony fight alongside together as effectively as ever, even while their personal interactions continue to be fraught with tension. 

Wanda finds Tony in his lab after the rest of the team has disbanded for the evening, tired from the fiasco of the latest attack on New York. Oliver’s upstairs, and Tony knows he’s acting stupidly, dangerously, by not going to his Dom when he’s teetering so precariously on the edge of a trauma drop. But that fight…that fight had been so very, very hard. The stakes had been very high and Tony didn’t know how they’d all held it together. 

He was usually better about controlling this emotion after the fights. Most of the fights weren’t so dangerous or so hard though. They usually had fewer moments where he just knew he was about to die. He could usually shake it off. He was certainly fine in the heat of the moment, cool logic and unbridled genius as the stakes grew ever higher. But afterwards, sometimes he found all those suppressed emotions from the battle pouring out of him now that everyone had survived. 

He felt guilty but he thought he just wanted someone to be soft with him tonight and Ollie…Ollie loved him but he wouldn’t listen to Tony when Tony said he needed him to be soft and gentle. Ollie didn’t like it when Tony told him what to do, didn’t like the reminder that Tony forgot that only Ollie knew what was best for him.

So he didn’t go to Ollie. He went to the lab and to Jarvis and he mindlessly pulled out blueprints and tech, wires and switches. He directed Jarvis to pull open various projects, knowing that his voice was quivering but not paying attention. Jarvis started playing his metal loud, without being asked and Tony smiled fondly and sunk into the bliss of work. 

They’d gotten back to the Tower round 6 that night, tired and exhausted and Tony managed a solid two hours of work, so it was nearing 8 when Wanda knocked lightly at Tony’s lab. Tony looked up in confusion from his work as Wanda entered the room, eyes hazy in his head, fingers trembling ever so slightly where they gripped at the tools in his hand. Wanda noticed idly that there was nothing sharp or hot in his vicinity and suspected that, given the man’s state, Jarvis probably had something to do with what was within his creator’s reach. 

Wanda, holding the bag with the burgers that had been delivered for the team’s dinner which she had brought for Tony, reacted to the sight of the distressed sub immediately, hands raising tentatively to show no harm, setting the burgers down in plain sight. 

“Dinner, Tony.” Her voice was soft and held just the barest tinge of dominance. She didn’t want to take advantage of his state and it was a fine line between caring for a Dropped sub and being a domineering asshole. Her tone wasn’t a declaration or an order but it wasn’t a suggestion either. 

Tony blinked slowly at her then look down in confusion at his hands, clearly surprised to see the tool there. He looked back up, at the bag of food and reached out a hand for it. She handed him the bag and patiently watched him pull out the burger and eat. When he was done she waited until she saw him mindlessly reach for the tool he had been using before she came in before she gently interjected. “Why don’t you come up to see Oliver with me Tony. I think he’s probably pretty worried about you.” 

“Did he send you for me?” Tony asked quietly, eyes glued to the floor. Wanda is struck by the fragility of it, she's hadn’t thought Tony to be this submissive. 

“He wants to see you,” Wanda hedged, certain this statement was true. If she was Tony’s Dom, she would desperately want to be with her sub right now. 

“Okay,” Tony agreed, voice barely above a whisper. Frowning she pondered briefly why Tony was so resistant to seeking out his Dom in the first place but she shrugged and put it off as a sub already in the throes of Drop. They usually went to where they felt safest, and if Tony’s lab, where he created world-saving technology was where he felt safest, she probably couldn’t blame him for preferring that over a penthouse suite in the Tower. Even it if was where his partner was. 

She guides Tony to the elevator and Jarvis starts whisking them up to the penthouse without being directed. Tony leans unconsciously against her and she encourages the movement as he had been swaying alarmingly a few seconds before and the last thing she needs is a sub on his knees in front of her in an elevator delivering them to the man’s Dom. The elevator opens and Wanda pulls Tony’s arm around her shoulders supporting him as she walks him in to where an alarmed looking Oliver Glass is getting up from the couch. 

“Is he hurt?” the man demands immediately, “Why didn’t you take him straight to medical? How bad is it..oh.” 

The other man had gotten close enough to Wanda and Tony to see Tony’s state, his submissively curved back, his eyes glued to the floor, his silence. Oliver’s eyes flit immediately to Wanda and hold her there imperiously. 

“I already knew he was a sub,” she said. Oliver frowns but reaches a hand toward his sub, looking concerned as Tony starts shivering relentlessly. He looks at her in question. 

“It was a hard fight,” she said solemnly. “It very nearly didn’t end well.” 

“I see,” he says, solemn in kind. She has transferred Tony over to his Dom and the man has helped Tony settle gently to his knees, the engineer’s head innocently bowed against Oliver’s thigh, Oliver’s hand gently gripping Tony’s hair in reminder of his presence. The genius still hasn’t stopped shivering but Wanda immediately takes several steps back in retreat, sensitive to how an opposing Dominant can seem threatening when their sub is in distress. 

“Thank you for delivering him to me. I will see to it that he gets what he needs.” 

She smiles, knowing he means the feeling of warmth and security and safety a submissive deserves to get from their Dominant, an anchor during the storm. He smiles back and she leaves them. 

Tony shivers in the silence that follows her departure. His mind is foggy. He has a sense of where he was and where he'd been, but mostly he just remembers not feeling very well and then being guided to Oliver by Wanda who had left him here when Oliver promised to give Tony what he needed. He wants to cry but knows it won’t do any good. Wanda had told Oliver that the fight nearly didn’t end well. That means Tony should have done better. He deserves to be punished. And not only that, Wanda knew about them and Tony knew she knew but hadn’t told Ollie. 

Tony gave in and let out a sob. He had just wanted to feel warm and safe in his lab for a while. He wasn’t ready for his punishment yet but he would have been eventually. Why had Wanda had to make him go to Ollie? 

Oliver sighs above him but the hand tangled in Tony’s hair loosens from where it had tightened when Wanda had left. Eventually the man releases his hair altogether and starts gently petting it instead. 

“Guess we need to get you out of this Drop. Not any use to me or anyone like this.” 

Tony whines helplessly at the man’s honest but cruel words, grinding his head against the Dom’s thigh in a wordless expression of shame. Oliver tsked gently above him. “None of that now, Tony. You know that’s counter-productive. Nothing for it, then.” 

Oliver briskly rallied Tony to his feet, gestured him into the bedroom and laid him under the heaviest blankets they had. Then he rolled to the side of the sub, wrapping an arm over him. “Go to sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Oliver physically assaults Tony, Wanda involuntarily plays into Oliver's manipulation of Tony by bringing Tony to him while Tony is in a Drop


	4. Nor Knows What Birds Have Vanished One by One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Oliver deal with the aftermath of Tony's drop. Steve and cohort have news for the rest of the Avengers.

“How are you feeling, Tony?” Wanda had shown up unexpectedly at their door early the next morning. Tony blinked slowly at her from where he was settled on a soft pillow at Oliver’s feet in their kitchen. He was still a little out of it and Oliver answered for him as he slid a hand gently through his sub’s hair. 

“Tony is feeling quite a bit better, thank you for asking Ms. Maximoff. It is good of you to check on him. Thank you for finding him last night.” 

“Of course, Mr. Glass,” Wanda nodded politely. 

If Tony had been in a more stable state of mind he probably would have found it more bizarre that he was publicly acting a sub in front of another person, especially someone on the team, but he just didn’t have it in him to care. The Drop was making him apathetic and he couldn’t help the long, low whine that slipped out of him as he leaned his torso heavily against Oliver’s leg and closed his eyes against the world. 

“I would not have thought him to be quite so submissive, even so far down,” Wanda noted quietly. “He is so much the opposite in front of the team and the public.” 

It irked him vaguely, deep down where he couldn’t really reach at the moment that they were having a conversation about him while he was right there, but the haze was making it difficult for him to express that irritation. Instead he hummed lightly from his position, these base sounds all he could seem to manage while still so deeply in Drop. 

Oliver chuckled and tugged his hair, making Tony tilt his head up. The engineer battled to open his eyes and found his gaze captured by his Dom’s when he achieved his goal. Oliver smirked down at him as he answered Wanda, “Tony knows our home is a safe space for him to remove that front, Ms. Maximoff. Here I expect him to be what he is.” 

There’s silence for a few seconds as Oliver continues his intense staring into Tony’s eyes. Finally he releases Tony’s hair and Tony lets his head drop back against his Dom’s leg. Oliver turns his attention back to Wanda. 

“Ms. Maximoff, I must ask what you intend to do with what you know?” 

Wanda frowned. “I told Tony i would not speak of this to anyone and I intend to keep that promise. However, it must be clear to you that this is unlikely to be the last time that something like this could happen with the lives we lead. I continue to believe that Tony should share his status with the Captain, at a minimum. He needs a safeguard in case something like this happens again after a fight and he can’t get to you in time.” 

“No.” 

Oliver’s refusal is swift, uncompromising and Wanda looks startled and then somewhat angry. “He cannot afford to go into a Drop in an unsafe place where no one knows he is a sub, Mr. Glass. Surely you understand that.” 

“If being a superhero means that Tony can’t avoid going into Drop in unsafe places, then he’ll have to stop being a superhero,” Oliver responds stubbornly. Wanda pauses, then softens. Clearly this was a man who was terrified for his partner. 

“Have you met your sub, Mr. Glass? Telling Tony Stark he cannot be Iron Man would be like telling him he cannot breathe. It would take the life out of him. Besides, the world needs him. You need to talk to Steve. I assure you, the Captain is a man of uncompromising integrity. If you ask him to keep silent, he surely will.” 

“Sir,” Tony’s soft voice interjected before Oliver could dismiss Wanda’s concerns again. Oliver looked down at him and frowned but Tony kept his gaze steadily. They couldn’t afford to ostracize Wanda. The better strategy was to put her off and come up with a game plan. This was different than their usual, but the two were used to working in tandem and communicating with very few words. Oliver gave a slight nod and Tony let his head loll back down, strangely worn out from that one word conversation. 

“I understand your concern Ms. Maximoff,” Oliver responded slowly, deliberately. “And I again thank you for helping Tony last night. When Tony’s Up again, I will discuss this issue further with my sub. We will take your thoughts into consideration.” 

Wanda nodded, eyes on Tony’s kneeling figure. Subs varied widely in their level of submission. Some only needed casual exchanges to keep them Balanced, others needed an almost constant reminder of their Dominant’s presence. Trauma could exacerbate submissive tendencies, and every sub was a little off when they were Dropped, but it was still remarkable to her how soft and submissive Tony Stark was right now. She had to battle her own instincts to try to coddle him. The man wouldn’t appreciate it when he was back Up. 

“I will leave you to your day then. Do feel better Tony,” she said kindly. 

“Thank…you…ma’am,” Tony slurred out slowly, face half turned into his Dom’s leg.   
“Just Wanda, Tony,” she told him gently as she got on the elevator. 

“Yes…Wanda.” 

The elevator shut and the two were left to their own devices. Oliver sighed and picked up his coffee cup, sipping and thinking. Tony tensed at the new silence, unsure as to his Dom’s mood but still too hazy to do much of anything. Oliver had been out of character last night - there were multiple ways to manage a Drop, and most techniques revolved around what put the sub into Drop in the first place. For Tony, he had been vacillating between guilt at not being able to stop the fight or handle it better and allowing citizens to be harmed and exhaustion and horror at the trauma of the fight. Most Doms would use care taking to pull a sub up from that kind of Drop but an alternate method was punishment to assuage the sub’s guilt. Oliver usually tended towards punishment but last night he had just allowed Tony to sleep. It wasn’t the soft, gentle care that Tony’s soul had craved, but it wasn’t the punishment he feared either. Ironically, if Oliver had used harsher methods, Tony would probably be on the verge of being all the way Up at this point, but because he hadn’t, Tony was still pretty deep in the throes of Drop. 

“I had your assistant clear your schedule for today,” Oliver finally told him after a few minutes of silence. “I am free until around noon. We will take that time to get you back into some semblance of normalcy. You will stay away from Maximoff the rest of the day and avoid the rest of your team as well. You may go to your workshop in the afternoon if you agree to focus on the SI project the board is so anxious about.” 

“Yes, Sir,” Tony agreed cautiously. 

Oliver tapped the counter top distractedly. Then he reached down and tipped Tony’s head up by his chin, forcing the sub to meet his eyes. It was hard - Tony’s instinct in this state was to keep his eyes averted from any Dom’s. “You are not absolved, sub. I am furious that you failed to inform me that the Witch knew of your true nature. I can’t risk a prolonged Drop with Maximoff nosing about, but I assure you that you will be appropriately punished as soon as I can make it work.” 

Tony couldn’t help it, he dropped his eyes to Oliver’s chin as they clouded with tears that he struggled to keep from falling. Oliver grunted in irritation, pulling up harshly against his chin with his finger and Tony had to adjust himself further up on his knees at the discomfort. 

“What do I expect from you, sub?” 

“Verbal…acknowledgement, Sir,” Tony ground out slowly. It was a long standing command of Oliver’s - one of his rules. 

“Must I punish you for that as well?” 

“No, Sir. Please.” 

Oliver huffed and removed his finger. He reached for the tablet nearby and went silent. Tony let the tears fall. 

====== 

“Sir, Agent Romanoff would like a word.” 

Tony froze, then turned off the blow torch and took off his visor. Sure enough, Natasha was standing outside the glass doors of his workshop, looking at him expectantly. 

“Let her in, J.” 

“Very well, Sir.” 

The doors hissed open and the redhead moved gracefully to stand in front of the table Tony was working at. “Those look almost like my Widow Bites,” she comments, gazing discerningly at Tony’s work. Tony smiles a little. “Yea, I used your bites as the inspiration actually. These are for Wanda though. If we’re going to keep the jammer up while she’s in residence, she may need some alternate method to protect herself in case there’s a surprise attack and I can’t un-mute her in time.” 

Natasha nodded. “That’s both thoughtful and cynical at the same time, Tony. You want her to be protected in case of attack but you still don’t trust her enough to lower your guard.” 

“Do you think I should?” 

Natasha shrugged. “It’s not my Tower. I trust her to not use her powers on us maliciously, but I trust you to make the choice of whether or not to give her free reign.” 

“Helpful,” Tony sighed. 

“I try to be,” Natasha responds levelly. Then engages in one of her usual pivots. “Clint is on board with the Accords as is Bruce.” 

Tony nods. He picks up one of his renovated Widow’s bite sand brings it closer to his face for inspection. “That’s good news. But they were the easy ones.” 

“Easy for you to say,” Natasha mutters, but she’s not angry. 

“Is it time to approach Steve again?” 

“Have the two of you talked at all outside of Battle since you first talked about the Accords?” Natasha asks. 

“Just pleasantries,” Tony shrugs. “ I can tell he’s still furious. Not really interested in tipping a super soldier Dom into Fight by accident.” 

“I think Steve has more self-control than that.” 

Tony’s fingers tremble and he has to put the Bite down quickly, hoping the spy hasn’t seen. He’s out of his Drop but his nerves will be frayed for another 24 hours or so and the thought of what Doms do when they don’t keep control terrifies him. 

When he meets Nat’s gaze, she looks perplexed. “Steve is a reasonable guy, Tony. I don’t think you have a reason to fear him.” 

Tony laughs in what he hopes is a convincing manner. “Fear Steve? Man is about as terrifying as a bag of puppies.” 

“So its the idea of a Dom in Fight that has you nervous.” 

“No,” Tony snaps, not pleased that she’s constantly scraping at the edges of the truth. “I’m not some sub. Fight doesn’t scare me.” 

“Oliver hit you last time he was in Fight.” 

“I got thrown off the side of a building yesterday!” Tony almost shouts. “One punch is nothing compared to that.” 

“Iron Man got thrown of the side of that building,” Natasha responds evenly. “Tony Stark is the one who got punched in the face. No suit or anything.” 

Tony doesn't know what to say. 

“We didn’t see you after the Battle yesterday,” Natasha veers the conversation again. “Were you working on these?” 

“I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. I just went up to the penthouse.” 

“Next time, be with us. It helps. We watched a movie. Clint knelt for Steve. I think it helped both of them. He’d help you too, if you wanted.” 

Tony shudders involuntarily at the thought. He couldn’t imagine a worse thing then having to rebuff Clint’s well-intentioned offer to submit to him. Except maybe not rebuffing it and not being able to figure out how to act naturally in that situation. 

Natasha frowns, this time more severely. 

“Tell me about the Ten Rings Tony. By all accounts you should've been Fight-sick when you returned but instead you jumped right into a press conference - not even a hint of Balance-deprivation.” 

“What the hell does that have to do with anything?” Tony snapped, shocked by the non-sequitur. 

Truth was - that had been a pretty traumatizing time. He wasn’t able to hide it when he started to slide into a trauma drop with the Ten Rings. After all, he had had pretty dramatic heart surgery, was attached to a car battery, and then tortured without mercy. His captors caught on pretty damn quickly - but they wanted him functional and Balanced enough to do their engineering bidding. So they sent him a Dom (Yinsen was non-Dynamic). Comparatively - he'd never been so grateful for Oliver when he went back. 

“Why don’t you humor me? You seem to have a pretty impressive ability to avoid Fight, particularly given a lack of steady access to subs.” 

“Because its none of your business!” 

“I’m your friend, Tony. I’m worried about you and frankly - I’m confused. No offense but you’re not exactly known for being the epitome of emotional control. Yet I’ve never once found a report of you going into Fight in any media outlet over the course of your entire life. I’ve never personally seen you tip into Fight - even though you’ve been in the midst of the most traumatic battles on the planet. Even Steve had to be fit in for an emergency Dynamic Services session after the adrenaline from the Battle of New York wore off.” 

“So I’m suspicious because I have self-control?” 

“You’re suspicious because it doesn’t make sense.” She stares at him, un-phased by his irritation at this line of questioning. 

Tony hissed through his teeth, crossing his arms and leaning back - away from her and against the counter behind him. “‘There was a sub in Afghanistan, from the nearby village. They made me put her down when they saw that I was starting to fray. That’s why I wasn’t tipping when I got back state-side. They wanted me for my mind - I wouldn’t have been much use to them deep into Fight.” 

“Hm,” Natasha responds, a look of disbelief clear across her normally implacable features. “Does Oliver punish you often?” 

Tony’s heart stutters. “Excuse me?”   
“The other day, when you tipped him into that Fight that was so quickly resolved - you told me he punished you. I’m surprised you would allow that….” her voice softens suddenly. “Tony, I know you love him, but there have been cases before where Dominants try to mold other Dominants into something more malleable. It never ends well. Dom's aren’t made to be responsive to the same things submissive are. If you’re allowing him to punish you….it might not be healthy.” 

“Ok, I’m gonna stop you right there. First of all, this is none of your business. Second of all, I just mis-spoke. It would be absurd if Oliver punished me regularly. Obviously I wouldn’t stand for it.” 

Tony winces internally at how unconfident he sounds at the end of that sentence. He is really not on his game today. 

Natasha stares at him for a few moments, silent. Tony attempts to keep his face relaxed and not give any more away than he already has. Finally, the spy shrugs. 

“I’ll setup some time with Steve. We need to get these Accords signed.” 

Tony breaths a sigh of relief. He nods at her and she turns on her heel and leaves him in peace. 

 

******** 

Sam ends up calling them together before Natasha and Tony get a chance. They’re meeting in one of the conference rooms on the Avenger’s operational floors which tells Tony that the topic the man has to discuss is serious. This notion is affirmed by the grave look Steve carries and the way Sam keeps an eye on him out of the corner of his eye. Sam Wilson is baseline but he has a long history of managing the emotions and trauma of Doms who have been through some pretty heavy shit. Tony is instantly inwardly nervous. 

Outwardly, he drops himself into a chair across the way from Steve, sending the man a casual smirk. Steve blinks at him twice then casts his attention to Wanda who is entering the room. Tony frowns, a little irritated at what seems like a brushoff but let’s it go. Nat is sitting next to him. Tony wonders how many of the team already know what this meeting is about. 

“So Wilson, thanks for pulling together the party planning committee. You’re right, it’s been a while since we last met. I was thinking maybe a zoo theme for the Christmas party? Costumes obviously and…” 

“Can’t you be serious for once in your life?” Steve barks out, causing Tony to fall silent before sending the Captain a withering glare. 

Sam interrupts before the two can get in to it. “We found James Barnes.” 

That does instantly sober Tony. It’s not exactly a surprise that the Cap-oriented side of the Avengers has been searching for the U.S. sergeant-cum-Russian assassin, but the fact that they have found him is pretty shocking news. The last Tony heard, the man was a ghost.   
Wanda, Bruce and Clint shift in their seats, revealing that they too, have been surprised by this news. Nat doesn’t twitch but Tony doesn’t know how to read into that. The woman is incredible at revealing her emotions. 

Bruce speaks first. “Any idea about Sergeant Barnes….state of mind?” he asks tactfully. 

“Yea,” Tony breaks in, because he just can’t help himself sometimes. “When you say you’ve found James Barnes, have you found Capsicle’s long lost buddy or do we still have a raging Russian kill machine on our hands?” 

Steve pushes himself out of his chair furiously at Tony’s words and he’s leaning toward Tony, palms flat on the table as he snarls, “Would it kill you to have a little empathy for a man who has been tortured for the last 75 years?” 

Tony leans back, hoping the fact that his heart is beating at about a thousand beats per minute due to the angry Dom yelling at him isn’t obvious on his face. He twists his lips and opens his mouth but Sam cuts in before he can escalate the situation further. 

“He’s being careful, discrete. As far as we can tell, he’s on the run from Hydra. Our intelligence says they have men on his trail, and have been hunting him since the incident in the Potomac. There’s no way to know for sure; but Barnes hasn’t been killing and he did save Steve’s life after all. It’s very possible that he’s broken through his conditioning.” 

Steve is still glaring at Tony and Tony holds his gaze adamantly, a test for himself as well as an unwillingness to give away his cover to the rest of the room by looking away. After a moment, Steve relaxes and sits down, looking away from Tony. Tony tries not to sigh too loudly in his relief. 

Bruce engages with Sam again, probably to try to keep the conversation civil in the wake of Steve’s backing down. “If he’s broken through, why hasn’t he reached out to Steve?” 

“Would you?” Natasha responds quietly. “After 75 years in the hands of Hydra, I doubt Barnes have very much trust. The man is the Winter Soldier and S.H.I.E.L.D. has been hunting him for years. Steve clearly works with S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s been a long time, even for such an old friendship.” 

“He knows….” Steve clears his throat. Then he looks back up again, looking Natasha in the eyes, famous Captain America expression evident on his face. “He knows that I’m with him to the end of the line. No matter what.” 

“Yea?” Natasha asks. “Then maybe he doesn’t want to pull you into his shit. There’s about a million reasons for him to stay dark, Steve. No matter how he feels about your friendship.” 

“We need to decide what we want to do,” Sam breaks in. “We’ve been searching for him for a year, this might be our one and only chance to bring him in.” 

“Is that what we want to do?” Steve asks. “Bring him in? What would that even look like? Life imprisonment? Worse?” 

“If we don’t bring him in,” Tony challenges, “then eventually it will be Hydra that gets him. And can we really risk the Winter Soldier out in the world again? If we don’t bring him in when we have this chance, then we are ultimately responsible for all the destruction that he causes in the future as the Winter Soldier.” 

“All the destruction that Hydra makes him cause,” Steve bites out. Tony shrugs. 

“Sure, all the destruction that Hydra makes him cause. Either way, doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of option to me.” 

Steve stands up again, but this time he doesn’t challenge Tony. Instead he paces the length of his side of the room, clearly agitated. Tony’s not in Phase this time, and he can tell the man is half-way to Fight and trying to work out the energy in less destructive ways. Wisely, he keeps his mouth shut. 

“I can’t do it. I can’t bring in my best friend to watch him languish behind bars for the rest of his life for crimes he’s not responsible for.” 

There’s heartbreak in the man’s voice and Tony’s not one to kick puppies. Instead he leans back in and folds his hands on the table. “Steve, I think there may be a way around that.” 

Steve stops pacing and the look he sends Tony’s way is so hopeful that Tony’s heart skips a beat. “How?” 

“Compromise,” Tony says and Natasha shoots him a side eye. He catches it from his peripheral but keeps his eyes on Steve. This will be tricky. “The UN wants those Accords signed.” 

“God damn it, Tony, not the fucking Accords again.” 

“Look, Steve. We have an opportunity here. I know you’re resistant to the idea of the Accords. I get it. But the rest of the team is willing to sign them. You - and Sam, of course - are the last hold outs. What if we make Barnes’ freedom a condition of your signing?” 

“I’m not going to sign my free will away for anything,” Steve bites. “Not even for Bucky.” 

“Don’t be such a drama queen, Cap,” Tony immediately snaps back irritated. Then he breaths out through his nose and remembers who very important reaching a compromise on this is. e looks the furious Captain in the eyes. 

“Steve, you’re not signing away your free will. You’re just allowing for some oversight. You’ll still have the ability to act unilaterally in critical situations, but in the more day-to-day, mundane threats the Avengers face, we’ll have both approval and support from the various governments for when we intercede. It’s a win-win, and it gives the everyday citizens - the ones who are affected the most by our actions - a voice in the form of their governmental representation.” 

Steve is silent after Tony’s argument. He looks at Sam but the black man shrugs his shoulders. Tony always knew that Sam’s resistance to the Accords was completely predicated on Steve’s unwillingness to sign, so Tony keeps his attention on the American icon. The silence as Steve thinks seems to last for eons and the rest of the Avengers maintain the silence, shooting some discreet glances at each other. Finally, Steve’s shoulders droop and he sighs. Most of the edges of Fight leave him. 

“How do we protect Bucky?” 

Tony lets out a long, low exhale. “Ok, this is what we do…” 

*********** 

Tony hasn’t forgotten that Oliver promised a punishment. It’s been a week, but Oliver has waited longer for smaller infractions before, so Tony knows he's not off the hook. Life with the Dom has been strained in the interim. Oliver is distracted with work and hasn’t paid much attention to his contrite sub, but there’s a weekend coming up and Tony knows that Oliver is going to be in the city for it, so when he finally shuts down his lab early Friday evening to join his Dom for dinner, he is not particularly surprised at what awaits him. 

“No dinner for you tonight,” Oliver informs him the moment he walks through the door. “Strip. Now.” 

Tony immediately follows his Dom’s instructions, hands shaking slightly as he undoes the belt of his jeans. Oliver’s expression, when he chances a look up, is implacable. 

“What are you being punished for, sub?” 

“For not telling you that Wanda Maximoff knew that I was a sub, Sir.” 

“Yes. What else?” 

“…For…for not coming to you when I was dropping.” 

“Yes. That put us both in danger and was utterly stupid. I thought I married a genius, not an idiot. But I live to be disappointed by you. What else?” 

Tony swallowed fighting back tears. He hated disappointing Oliver, but he couldn’t help but do it pretty frequently. He wracked his brain. Oliver approached. 

“Well?” Oliver demanded. Tony shook his head, devastated at failing to identify what else Oliver was upset about. Oliver backhanded him across the face. Tony knocked into the wall but righted himself quickly, keeping his gaze down. His face pulsed where he had been struck. 

“You are also being punished for allowing Maximoff to find out you were a sub. That is in fact, your largest infraction. How stupid are you?” 

“I’m…I’m so sorry, Sir. She has the ability to read minds. I…I didn’t know.” 

He’s backhanded again, this time on the other side of his face and he sobs before he can stop himself. That earns him a third slap and Tony knows that he will have marks to show for it now. He’ll have to find a way to conceal it if he doesn’t want more uncomfortable questions from Natasha.   
Oliver’s hand is around Tony’s throat in the next second and he's pushing the sub face forward into the wall. Tony allows his face to be pushed against the wall and doesn’t budge when Oliver let’s go. He knows not to move when his Dom puts him somewhere. He hears Oliver rustling behind him and then a think leather band is being fit against his throat. Tony fights back the shudder at the feeling. He’s not a fan of collars. Oliver only ever uses them when he is being punished and needs to remember to whom he belongs. 

Oliver lets him go and Tony’s hands involuntarily fly up to investigate his new accessory. Or they try to, at least, but are intercepted by Oliver’s rough grip pulling them roughly behind him and handcuffing them together. The metal is cold and rigid against his wrists, already biting in. 

Oliver pulls him away from the wall by his bound hands and juts him in front of him, forcing him towards the bedroom. Tony stumbles in that direction and is guided into their room and towards the corner where a thick metal pole has been installed in the wall, a little higher than Tony’s waist. 

“Kneel in front of the pole, facing me,” Oliver commands and Tony does as ordered, eyes completely clouded with tears. He’s humiliated by Oliver’s anger and the way the man has decided he must be punished. Oliver pulls Tony’s head back by his collar and after a second, Tony realizes that his collar is now attached to the pole, immobilizing him. Their is no give to the pole and Tony is forced to remain on his knees, hands bound behind him. The pole’s placement is just a little too high, and the way his collar attaches to it is just on the edge of choking him. As it is, it constricts some of his breathing anyway. 

When Tony’s eyes clear he sees that a projector has been setup at his eye line. It’s a white screen with large black lettering - “A good submissive does not keep secrets from their Dominant.” 

“I have taken the time to determine some reminders for you sub. Of what is expected of you and what you owe me. I know that you struggle to be a good sub. Most subs do not require such constant correction. You should be grateful that I am willing to take the time.” 

“I am Sir,” Tony’s choked voice rushes to affirm. “I am so grateful for you.” He means it too. He hates being punished but this is how he will be good in the future. And he wants to be good for Ollie. He wants it so bad. 

“Well you will prove it to me. I want you to repeat the phrase on this projector. Continually. It is scheduled to change with your next reminder in 30 minutes. There is also this listening device here. It is setup to recognize anytime you stop speaking for more than 20 seconds and record it for me. You will repeat these phrases for however long I see fit. At the end, I will tally your failures and you will be punished for each with the cane. Do you understand?” 

“Yes Sir,” Tony whispers, eyes wide and blown on the edges of subspace already. He will have to force himself to not dip any lower. He has a bad habit of going non-verbal when he dips too deep into ‘space and that would be …. very very bad with this punishment.

“Good. You may begin.” 

“A good submissive does not keep secrets from their Dominant,” Tony immediately says, watery eyes glued to the screen. His throat hurts a little already from the way he is fixed to the pole, and he knows this will only get worse. He has no choice though but to throw himself on his Dom’s mercy and hope that the punishment will not last much longer than a few hours. 

****** 

It lasts until the morning. 

“A good submissive does not keep secrets from their Dominant.” It’s easy enough for the first half an hour and Tony feels deeply regretful that he didn’t reveal to Ollie that Wanda knew about their situation. He will never do something like that again. He won’t! 

“A good submissive does not hide from his Dominant.” Tony’s throat is already parched now but he faithfully repeats the phrase. He does feel very badly about this. Why did he think going to his lab was such a good idea anyway? How could he not have evaluated the risks of such an action. And what must Oliver have thought that his sub wouldn’t go to him when he needed help 

“A good submissive obeys his Dominant in all things.” Tony mutters this phrase hundreds of times, at first a little salty about it - after all, he never willfully disobeys Oliver. By the end though, he's not thinking much about anything at all. He’s dutifully repeating the phrase but his thoughts are frozen on the constant hurt in his throat from the constant speaking. 

“A good submissive knows his Dominant’s decision is not to be questioned.” 

“A good submissive works towards his Dominant’s goals above all other goals.” 

It goes on for about 12 hours. Tony can’t speak for all of it. He succumbs to sobbing at about hour 3. A small mercy - the device recording him seems to take these sounds from words and it does not appear that he gets dinged for it. He recovers sporadically, but although he’s speaking the words, his mind is a constant barrage of pain, pain, pain. His throat is completely dry and his voice is coming out in a rough croak. The collar has bitten into his neck and he knows he's bleeding where it holds him up by his head. His knees, although the bedroom is carpeted, ache from the position he has been forced to hold and his wrists are bloody from where the handcuffs have cut into them. 

“A good submissive begs his Dominant’s forgiveness and throws himself upon his Dominant’s mercy.” 

It’s the latest phrase and Tony is whispering it, mind pretty gone. He hadn’t been able to stop himself from going silent for a prolonged period of time about an hour ago. He’s not sure how long, but the device had kept beeping at him and Tony was terrified out of his wits enough to finally resume his croaking recital. 

Abruptly, Oliver’s socked feet are in front of Tony’s diverted gaze and the man is pulling him up by his hair, forcing his sub to look him in the eye. Tony knows his Dom well enough not to stop his punishment until he’s told. “A good submissive begs his Dominant’s forgiveness and throws himself upon his Dominant’s mercy,” Tony dutifully whispers to him. Oliver smirks. 

“Is that so, sub?” 

“Yes, yes Sir,” Tony is pleading. 

“Why don’t you show me,” Oliver says, and suddenly Tony is released from the pole. He slumps immediately forward, face hitting the carpet but scrambles up again immediately, his legs are dead, pins and needles coming if he moves which will interrupt his begging, interrupt this opportunity, so he stays still and begs. 

“Please Sir, please please. I am so sorry I am such a bad sub. I’ll do whatever you want. Anything. I’ll never disobey you again. Please Sir. Mercy, Sir. Please.” Tony is sobbing and his Dominant is silent. Desperate Tony inches forward and rubs his head against Oliver’s thigh, beseeching the man physically in the only way he can think of. 

Oliver laughs. “Ok. Seems like you’ve learned your lesson.” He reaches down with a key and uncuffs Tony, then roughly tips his head up as he unlocks the padlock in the front of Tony’s collar and releases the sub from the restriction. Then he steps back. “I think we’ll leave the pole up for a few weeks though. As a reminder.” He walks away, leaving Tony to deal with his aching body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Oliver puts Tony through a non-negotiated punishment

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing and am grateful for the imagination of those who came up with these characters so that I may cruelly use them for my own ends. 
> 
> Chapter Warnings: Clint experiences some bureaucratic discrimination, Tony does not give Oliver explicit consent for shower sex and reflects on another time in which he was non-consensually assaulted, Tony is influenced by Oliver's mental manipulation/abuse 
> 
> This is my first work, let me know what you think. 
> 
>  
> 
> I've taken some liberties from the MCU timeline and some liberties as well with the actual events. The pace is a bit fast right now, but that's just to get them to the point where they are all living in the Tower and interacting with Oliver.


End file.
